Melania is going solo to the State of the Union
- Thread starter Bill4411
- Start date
I know I am a liberal because of seeing Bobby speak in Columbus. My family, neighbors, friends all were solid Wallace people. I was young, 7, but loved what Bobby said compared to what Wallace was selling.
It's really ham-fisted language across the board. Gleaming is a terrible way to champion American craftsmanship in roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways. And the American heart and grit bits are pretty eye-rolly. I do like hands better than labor though. Overall, his team needs to intern with any of Reagan's folks still kicking it.
I have no good way with words. I'm a numbers person, through and through. The job of speechwriter - at any level - would be torture for me.
That SOTU response might have been the worst I've ever seen. Having drool boy Kennedy give it with an opened up Ford in the background. Dems are completely out of touch.
He was talking about the flag. It was red meat for the anti-BLM crowd. You know this. I know this. Even CO knows this. Remember:
Yes as I’ve pointed out, hide those opinions and beliefs. Someone might figure out what you actually believe in. If the minions can’t even say what they believe in an open forum, there is no reason to trust who they put up for election.
Seeing the commentary has been interesting, I gave up watch SOTU addresses years ago. Obama was a gifted speaker, if he couldn't make them interesting no one possibly can. I will vote for the presidential candidate who promises to have a message emailed to congress and skip the address entirely.
The invention of the humans as props hurts the address, no matter who gives it. It disrupts the natural flow of a speech, and takes the audience away from the speaker. The built in applause lines do the exact same thing, they prevent a rhythm from developing. Take a look at the great speeches, now imagine the Gettysburg Address with a point out to the parents of Ginnie Wade and a couple applause lines. No way that's a great speech. A great speech gets people to stand and cheer spontaneously. What we get is pure garbage. Just email the text to congress, that fulfills the constitutional duty and far less torture is inflicted on the American people.
The invention of the humans as props hurts the address, no matter who gives it. It disrupts the natural flow of a speech, and takes the audience away from the speaker. The built in applause lines do the exact same thing, they prevent a rhythm from developing. Take a look at the great speeches, now imagine the Gettysburg Address with a point out to the parents of Ginnie Wade and a couple applause lines. No way that's a great speech. A great speech gets people to stand and cheer spontaneously. What we get is pure garbage. Just email the text to congress, that fulfills the constitutional duty and far less torture is inflicted on the American people.
you for got the DWS...wait I forgot you take your own babble seriously, my bad.
This.
So much this.
I stopped watching these things years ago, both the speech and the need for the counter speech directly after. Send a written text version of where the country stands and call it a day. The speeches now are just glorified stump speeches delivered to a captive audience. Waste. Of. Time.
That's because you have no hair.I heard Julie Mason say that same thing on POTUS channel today. Is this a female thing? I’m not sure what a ginger is.
And yet....no one really agrees with you. Did you see Bobby Jindal? His presidential hopes basically went up in flames after his. Care to exxplain how it was "out of touch?" All the elections so far since Trump have shown that the Dems are anything but out of touch.
Excellent point.
Politics reflects us. We are losing the ability of effective verbal and written communication. The evidence not only includes your point but also includes the increasingly public use of profanity, including the f-bomb, in public discourse. It’s a poor mind that can’t think of a better way to publicly state the Democratic case than saying “Republicans don’t give a shit about you” as Perez has done.
Trump is not given to great oratory. He treated the SOTU like a rally. There were too many call outs and applause lines. Notwithstanding that, I thought “Americans are dreamers too” was a great line and if he keeps using that, he will have changed the immigration debate with 4 words.
Jindal is bad with oral communication for a number of reasons. I frankly expected more from Joe. His script was fine. His delivery needed some serious coaching.
Don't know about anyone else, but I'm sick and tired of political dynasties. So many of our elected officials have a family name in politics. It stinks.
I think it was 538, maybe some other site, that used the program that compared the language of presidents to the grade level it was written at. That number has been going down. The point was made that long ago, when one pretty much had to be an educated white male to vote, the language was written at a high level. I get why politicians don't want to speak over the heads of the voters, but frankly they should. We should want our leaders to set a standard people aspire to. If that means quoting a philosopher no one has heard of, good. Maybe some will Google and increase their knowledge. But everything today is done to the lowest common denominator. I get why, I just don't think it is good.
"Americans are dreamers too" is probably better than my allies will allow for, I'm not sure it is a game changer. It's good but not quite aspirational enough. It needed a bit of imagery, like Reagan's "shining city on a hill". Combining it into Americans too dream of living in the shining city on a hill.
I do think people want aspirational in these speeches. That is also part of why this "look at poor Mr and Mrs Smith in the balcony whose 30 children all passed away last year" doesn't work.
Are state of the unions anything other than home football games? I don't know anyone who watched, and frankly how many undecideds are there?
Don’t confuse great oratory with effective persuasion. They are two different things and there is a time and place for each.
I taught my mock trial kids that most people’s mind will wander after 20 seconds of an opening statement or closing argument and they need to do something every 30 seconds or so to refocus attention on what they were saying. That is persuasion—part of it anyway. But it doesn’t lend itself to great oratory.
You mentioned the Gettysburg address. Great example of both given the fact that Lincoln wasn’t even the featured speaker. But his speech is the one for the ages. He managed great oratory and effectiveness at the same time. Lincoln was an accomplished trial lawyer.
I think Trump used applause lines and call outs to keep listeners focused. Maybe that wasn’t deliberate, but it worked. I also think he has had coaching in delivery.
Tim Farley had a person on POTUS this morning who has taught public speaking at Yale and now I guess runs a consulting firm who suggested that she didn't think Trump had practiced the speech and may not have even read it. She said often he didn't seem to know where the speech was going.
I didn't watch so I cannot comment, just pointing out how two people can watch the same event and have completely different views.
I can't imagine anyone thinks he practiced or read it ahead of time. Doubtful he has the patience to do that.
I'm with Marvin, too.
I can't stand these speeches. They are worse than stump speeches, if that's possible.
And this nonsense of introducing people in the gallery is out of control. I don't GAFF about any of these people's anecdotal stories. A guy runs a manufacturing plant in Ohio, and gave a raise to a black welder. Seriously?
This is what a carnival barker does when he has nothing of substance to share.
Get off my lawn.
I can't stand these speeches. They are worse than stump speeches, if that's possible.
And this nonsense of introducing people in the gallery is out of control. I don't GAFF about any of these people's anecdotal stories. A guy runs a manufacturing plant in Ohio, and gave a raise to a black welder. Seriously?
This is what a carnival barker does when he has nothing of substance to share.
Get off my lawn.
Normally, having witnessed it qualifies you to give an opinion, but this time it's the opposite.
VanPastorMan
Hall of Famer
Three out of four Americans approved of his speech. I didn't watch it yet, and will probably check it out on youtube.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/viewer...rst-state-of-the-union-address-cbs-news-poll/
I'm conflicted about that. On the one hand, I see your point. Just because someone has the right name doesn't make them qualified. On the other hand, I don't like someone like Trump who has no clue how to get things done. With a dynasty, at least they have an idea of how things run, how to work with both sides, and how legislature works. I wouldn't automatically qualify or disqualify someone because of their last name.
It's been well documented that the large majority of people that actually watch the speech are supporters. So actually 3 out of four seems pretty low.
Not hateful enough for you?
I’ve yet to hear you say one specific thing about Trump that you think he does well other than spew hate. And yet you worship the guy.
But I do agree with what a few others have said, all of these speeches typically suck. The applause every five seconds, the meaningless platitudes, and the responses.
Cool. Keep on keeping on with worshipping a serial adulterer, lying hypocrite, and racist buffoon while acting like a Christian. All because of that R next to his name. I’ve still yet to get a response from you regarding him joking about aborting his daughter.
I liked how he mentioned protecting the second amendment instead of mentioning crimes committed by white guys with guns. Kinda left out the biggest mass shooting in US history, but told us about a couple of Mexicans killing two little girls. Didn’t bother bringing in the people who helped stop the Texas church shooting, committed by a white guy with a gun. Nope, we’ll protect your second amendment. No mention of Heather Heyer who was run over by a Nazi muffin in Virginia because maybe he doesn’t want to piss off an important part of his base. Gotta focus on Mexicans and we can’t forget those NKs who may nuke us any second now!!!!!!! A little “duck and cover” drill would’ve really driven the threat home.
Agree. And after the first 500 standing ovations for meaningless promises that no one intends to keep, the 501st standing ovation for the family that lost their son seems a little disingenuous.
VanPastorMan
Hall of Famer
I don't remember your comment. When did he say this? All I know is he is a pro life President now. He cut funding to overseas abortions that Obama put in. So let me get this straight. You look down on him making a supposed joke, yet you would most likely support Obama's decision to give our money to foreign lands so they can get abortions?
One last thing. I don't worship the President. I never did and I never will. I worship the Lord God from the Bible. He is my God. And His Son by the way was sinless, 2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
VanPastorMan
Hall of Famer
Good point. If you added a Fox poll for instance to the CBS poll then the percentage would be higher.
Has there ever been a POTUS with below 50% favorability his entire term? That's my parting wish for Trump. That and four hundred more creases in his countenance.
