Obama's use of Teleprompters

[O_Guru]

What do you think of Obama's use of teleprompters?

I'd say a little excessive. To be honest, I would prefer our president spent more time running the country rather than spending time memorizing long speeches. If you are president and you memorize every speech you make, you are wasting important time.

At the same time, I sometimes can't take him seriously because I know he's just reading it.

It also drives me crazy seeing him look left, then right... left then right... every few seconds when giving his speeches. I can imagine it could be pretty annoying seeing him make the speech in person when all he's doing is looking at the teleprompters.

huh?
i dont get this
you dont want him to spend time memorizing speeches but yet think his use of teleprompters is excessive?Well which is it. This is a total contradiction you must of meant to type it a different way?

 

[country]

Not a big deal, except the msm rave about his speaking ability. Without teleprompters he can't complete a sentence without mmm's and uh's. So stay with the teleprompters obama. You drive me nuts when you try to speak without them

 

[Jucon]

Which is why he doesn't. :doh What's your complaint, exactly?

I know he doesn't. Read below.

huh?
i dont get this
you dont want him to spend time memorizing speeches but yet think his use of teleprompters is excessive?Well which is it. This is a total contradiction you must of meant to type it a different way?

That's why I said "a little excessive". It would be nice to see some speeches where he speaks looking at the audience. I mean I haven't been to one of his town hall meetings before, so I guess I couldn't say for sure if he's actually looking at the people. Like I said, it gets a little annoying watching him talk on TV when he just keeps looking left and right every few seconds (I'm assuming at the teleprompters). But I still think using teleprompters in most speeches is alright.


I think some conservative's criticism of his teleprompter usage is ridiculous. Like many people here have said, I think it's a non-issue... but I was just curious how other people felt.

 

[aps]

Thing is, I tend to umm a lot to when I am trying to recall information too. A lot of people do.

And that's annoying too. I have a friend who says "umm" almost every other word. It's distracting to me.

 

[Hoplite]

I'm with the "I Dont Give A ****" crowd.

I could care less if he wore glasses that had his speeches scroll infront of his eyes. I just dont care.

Frankly, I prefer whatever Obama does to speak the way he does to Bush's abject butchery of the English language. Dear gods that was almost painful to listen to at times

 

[PeteEU]

Right wing bs hype... aka who gives a **** crowd. Reagan used teleprompter's all the time, as did Bush Sr. I guess the right are too use to having their leaders read off their hands or just butcher a speech because of lack of preparation..

 

[laska]

It's smart. Hate the system that makes it so.

 

[Zyphlin]

Thing is, I tend to umm a lot to when I am trying to recall information too. A lot of people do.

I imagine the one difference is that leading up to the campaign and through it Obama was painted as this generational speaker the likes of which we'd not seen since the days of King and JFK.

When thinking of those two you don't think of a lot of "umms". Its not that "umm's" aren't common or that a lot of people don't do it...its that they are and they do, and he was made out to be several steps above the common person when it came to speaking. That's all

 

[Slartibartfast]

I imagine the one difference is that leading up to the campaign and through it Obama was painted as this generational speaker the likes of which we'd not seen since the days of King and JFK.

When thinking of those two you don't think of a lot of "umms". Its not that "umm's" aren't common or that a lot of people don't do it...its that they are and they do, and he was made out to be several steps above the common person when it came to speaking. That's all

I don't see much of a difference though. I can be a very persuasive speech giver when I have prepared for it. However, if I try to do a presentation and I am not prepared, I will go into umm territory.

A person can be both.

 

[Zyphlin]

I see it as a non-issue.

Contrary to what the most hyper partisan will try to pander about, Reagan and other Presidents before Obama DID use a Teleprompter. They, however, did not use them "all the time" as those who just want to come and take their hyper partisan dump all over the thread would suggest. The technology simply wasn't there for it to be at almost every speech, even those inside a classroom.

However, I'd dare say every President since the earliest of days likely at least had either the full speech of a note card present at the vast majority of their speeches. To me, a teleprompter is just the upgrading of technology of that old pen and paper tech. Are we going to smear Barack Obama for using email instead of snail mail? Are we going to scream and wail that he takes a secure call in the middle of traveling on his Blackberry instead of having to wait until he can get to a secure land line? Hell, would he have an unfair advantage in the next election if he was taking an incredibly fast jet to his destination instead of a train like in the Truman days?

Technology advances, its not unusual, and its a GOOD thing to see people adapt with it. Before it was looking left/right, left/right it was looking down/up/around/down, down/up/around/down as they check the podium for their paper. I don't really see one worse than the other, or that one makes one a worse president, more of a laughing stock, or any other idiotic notion. The only reason people have such a negative reaction towards the teleprompter is that opinion pundits started making it an issue and suddenly people started to have an "opinion" on it.

This is a non-issue.

 

[Zyphlin]

I don't see much of a difference though. I can be a very persuasive speech giver when I have prepared for it. However, if I try to do a presentation and I am not prepared, I will go into umm territory.

A person can be both.

That's my point though Mega.

An average speaker is probably going to stumble through, no matter what.

A good public speaker can probably give a great persuasive speech but may not be great in all situations.

He was painted as the great orrator of our time, the next JFK or MLK or Reagan, a man who was not just a good public speaker but a GREAT one. This was the aura and the portrait painted of the man's speaking talents from 2004 at the DNC onward, and when someone is a "great" speaker you're just not expecting a ton of "umms" in any situation.

I'm not saying its bad he "umms", I'm not saying he's stupid cause he "umms", I'm saying that the hype and buzz surrounding him as created by democrats, his campaign, and the media didn't really match up to the kind of speaker he is. He's a very good speaker, but he's not a transformational orratory figure in my mind and if not for the "historic" nature of his campagin I don't think 20 years from now any of his speeches would be getting replayed or he'd be thought of in the same league as those people when it comes to speaking.

 

[ronpaulvoter]

Several radio talk show hosts have called him "Sir Teleprompter."

 

[Objective Voice]

I have no problem with the man using whatever literary tools he wants to in order to convey his message to the public or to Congress, be it note cards, a double-spaced outline or his speech in customary large oracle text. It doesn't matter to me what he uses; what matters most is what he says. So, if by using a teleprompter helps him to stay on point, I don't mind that at all. He's not the first President to do it and certainly won't be the last.

Frankly, I'd be more concerned if the teleprompter brokedown in the middle of one of his speeches. I'd be interested to see how he responds to that little technical hick-up.

 

[Hoplite]

Several radio talk show hosts have called him "Sir Teleprompter."

Yes and we ALL know that talk radio is THE place to go for insightful information. [/sarcasm]