TelePrompTer-in-Chief? (Part 2?)

Why does the American public have selective memory when it comes to party affiliation. Republicans like to mock President Obama using a the TelePrompTer and stuttering and stumbling his words when he is not -in essence, saying that he cannot create an original thought on his own. That's fair. However, wasn't that the case as well with President Bush by liberal rivals?

I sympathize with President Obama and President Bush. Not to make any accusations, but I myself have a speech impediment. Anyone who has ever seen me in class or personal discussion knows that I stumble over my words. I take pauses looking for words, I use interjecting phrases like "umm." I am not a good public speaker. I am, however, a rather good writer. I know the point I am trying to make. However, I jump back and forth from thought to thought and, in the end, clean it up so it all flows together. (This, among many reasons, is why I am not a good debater, or, for that matter, interviewee - as was the case a few years ago when I was questioned by a Newsday reporter about a dredging project in my town.) Right now, this is my 2^nd paragraph; I have the first two sentences of what will likely be my 3^rd paragraph already in place.

What we see on CNN, of course, is not the full interview. It is 8 seconds! How much of a cohesive, coherent, and concise argument can you make in in, say, 2 or three sentences? For that matter, how fast can you contemplate an argument/response that will fit into that 8 second time frame that will leave a lasting impact on the audience that will not be lost in the shuffle of the day's news cycle? It is a skill that I, for one, have yet to have mastered. When you give a speech, you want something that focuses on your directed audience, but still is quotable in a larger context. How often have we seen quotes taken out of context hurt politicians? Each sentence has to, in itself, be independent of all of the others, but still work together when combined.

(Think of my reasoning like this: the speaker is a squad leader in the Army; each sentence is a soldier in the squad; you, as the squad leader expect from you troops that they work well independently and as a group.)

Okay, maybe using a TelePrompTer versus some paper was a poor choice when speaking to school children, but, honestly, when you insult someone for not being a good public speaker, try to consider how hard creating political soundbites can be.

Limbaugh Calling for Obama Failure at CPAC Keynote Speech

At the conclusion of this year's CPAC, (which was attended by Fordham's own College Republicans) Rush Limbaugh once again called for Obama's failure in the White House. Devastated after the November elections and bankrupt of new ideas, Republicans are turning towards Rush as the "intellectual force and energy" behind the party. Yet with Rush at the helm, the Republican Party would only be driven down towards minority-fringe status--oblivious to the rest of the country and devoid of any real political power.

Limbaugh and his fellow right-wingers fail to realize that 80% of the country is behind Obama's economic plans. The American people are looking for government assistance in this economic crisis, and, with Republicans offering nothing but opposition, Obama offers a convincing plan to get the country back on track after eight years of mismanagement.

Although Limbaugh's speech carried on an hour longer than expected and was met with repeated standing ovations, Rush continues to unnerve the few levelheaded Republicans that actually have America's interests at heart. Republican Whip Eric Cantor admits that "I don't think that anyone wants anything to fail right now," but with Santorum, Delay, and Malkin all calling for Obama's failure, it's pretty obvious that Rush's Republican Party is not thinking about the American People: it's just intent on revenge.

I think that after eight years of failure, we could all use a little success.

Click the title for the link.