Three in a row in my blugfeed.
Jack: "Listen to the presbot give his 'Tuscon Tragedy' speech. Can't wait to get a hold of the transcript, to compare his moment seizing rhetoric to his murderous austerian actions."
Marisacat: "Could the thing have been more turgid – or a cheaper display to buy the huzzahs, the whistles, the screams? I’d be embarrassed to be in that hall. It’s embarrassing to be a citizen of this country."
Digby: "For my money it was the best speech he's given as president ---simple, human and uplifting in a difficult moment."
UPDATE: Tristero, determined as always to be even more embarrassing than Digby: "I really must go further than Digby and declare it was not only the best speech Obama has given since becoming president, but also one of the greatest speeches given by any sitting president. It was heartfelt, eloquent, beautifully written and paced, and deeply personal while calling all of us to realize a larger purpose: the national goal of establishing a discourse healthy for democracy."
11 comments:
I think Digby and her ilk don't get the same transcripts that we do. Only plausible explanation because they certainly can't be *that* much of a collective space cadet.
Hahaha, could be--see also the update I just added.
My co-worker came by earlier, said he'd watched it, found it moving, etc. I haven't watched it or read the transcripts (I don't listen to presidents or read their words unless forced to). I don't find Obama a compelling public speaker. On the one hand, the words are usually vague and forced. And he's got a smugness about him, jesus. But on the other hand, even when in theory the words would otherwise be either inoffensive or even, dunno, inspiring, one has a hard time taking them seriously in the face of persistent warmaking. But that's just me.
I just read the transcript. Didn't seem embarrassing at first, just corny. Then it got really embarrassing toward the end... Yikes.
I don't see how that could possibly qualify as "one of the greatest speeches given by any sitting president."
tristero's "national goal" is incredible. you really have to pity the person who devotes his or her life to "establishing a discourse healthy for democracy."
what fucking discourse? don't these people know about TV?
Tristero is an adult, right? That's what we're supposed to believe? Sounds like one of those Freshman Comp daily response papers, where the kid's just trying to write what teacher wants to hear.
mp - To be fair, that's all he's been taught in 20 some odd years of schooling. At least it sunk in.
Richard, I'm with you--I didn't read the transcript. I admit to skimming it, though, and my god.
Bolo, perhaps as contrasted with standing ones?
Anony, you can almost sense the relief: "OK, phew, I no longer need to act like my goal is the well-being of human beings. We're all agreed, the highest goal is lofty discourse. We got this one." Though of course they don't, because my god, what a pair of shitty writers digby and tristero are.
mp, Rachel--yeah, he's learned well. I'm actually surprised he doesn't have a paying position writing this garbage yet. Although maybe, as the composer of the second best of two operas based on the writings of Charles Darwin to have been written in the past two years, maybe he thinks he's above all that.
I think Obama's speeches are like verbal heroin to the faithful. They've been jonesing pretty hard the last couple years. They nearly OD'd with this dose, but it was sweeter than candy.
they are a little like heroin to me too, in that they make me sleepy
This speech might be a bit better, but probably not-I tried pointing out she did kowtow to a few racist immigration policies, but no dice:
http://www.racialicious.com/2011/01/13/daniel-hernandez-intern-for-congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords/#comment-2089479
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