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AmSpecBlog
If He's Calm, I'm Calm
So pronounces Jack Shafer at Slate of Barack Obama's ability to soothe a nation heading towards even more troubled economic times. Slate has, save a piece here and there, continually drooled over Obama since his campaign began. Despite that, even I'm surprised at Shafer when he extols the virtues of Obama's 'Voice' which "works like aerosolized Paxil on my limbic system, reducing my blood pressure and lifting my mood."
Shafer praises Obama's announcement of his stimulus plan, brilliantly of course, not actually called a stimulus plan (since that sounds too depressing).
Shafter continues: "When I watched him in the video below...he made me feel oddly good about the challenges of coming economic Armageddon."
Oh, how sweet. Perhaps Obama's administration will record him singing lullabies and every night will be so kind as to pipe them over a taxpayer-paid-for satellite system throughout America (or the world if it should be so lucky) so we can fall asleep to a man who makes us feel 'oddly good.'
The drooling doesn't stop there:
For one thing, he's better at remaining calmer and more deliberate in his speech patter than John Wayne in a firefight-and better at it than any politician since Ronald Reagan...[snip] It's not what Obama says that narcotizes the citizenry, but the way he says it. He can't possibly be certain that his plan will work, but he sells it as a done, settled deal, never showing a speck of doubt.
If I didn't know better, I would have thought Barack Obama had been our President for seven years already and actually done Americans a world of good.
Cynicism aside, that's my point. I'm so glad Obama makes the world feel good. I'm glad his Voice is soothing. I'm glad he avoids talking about pain and that his desire to "bring Kumbaya moments to all endears him to the multitudes."
But he's not the President yet and he hasn't done one thing to prove his bite is as incredible as his bark.
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Crusader| 1.9.09 @ 2:42PM
It truly is a bizarro world if anyone thinks Obama is a great speaker. When I listen to him I can't tell if he is trying to be MLK or JFK or some whacky TV-evangelist. He cadence and accent (real? phony?) is annoying. There is no flow; he sounds pretty stupid, which is re-enforced when the teleprompter gets turned off and he has to speak extemporaneously.
I will say that the impersonator on Rush is hilarious though. He's got him down pat!
Patricia A. Helvenston| 1.10.09 @ 3:17AM
I appreciated this piece very much. I think I will be completely unable to listen to drooling references to Obama's lobotomized speech patterns for more than a few more weeks. Yes, he speaks as if he has been lobotomized. There is no spontaneity, no life, no soul, no spirit, no mind. He is parroting a script someone wrote for him. I feel like the US has been invaded by the pod people who are now inhabiting the bodies of all leftists and some Rino's.
Alan Brooks| 1.10.09 @ 12:26PM
dont underestimate Obama, remember Clinton! a law school grad can twist like a snake through any obstacle.
Bob| 1.10.09 @ 2:20PM
So, Nicole, is this the same sort of drooling we read about here whenever Reagan's or Palin's name is mentioned? Hmmmmm.......
Ideologues always drool about their stars because belief for them always trumps reason. Furthermore, ideologues always demonize those on the other side. Unfortuately, this occurs both ways if you've ever read Huffington.
There is this saying about people who live in glass houses.....
Interloper| 1.10.09 @ 5:54PM
Most people seem to find President-elcct Barack Obama soothing. The fact there is no drama with Obama was definitely one of the traits that helped him during the campaign. Compared to John McCain, he was the most reasonable man on Earth.
People expect the same in office. Ideally, President Obama will grasp and understand the issues, consult experts, analyze political feasibility and reach a decision. None of the impermeable bubble of Bush, or pulling of the puppet strings by various factions of the GOP with McCain, or the indecisiveness of Carter, or the innate corruption of Nixon. We'll see.
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