Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Of speeches

This post has nothing to do with the media or the politics of media, but something I just felt like writing after a couple of Vodka's. I've had too much media gossip swirl through my head for the day, so grant me this.
I think, and I do not believe that I am alone on this, Barack Obama is possibly the greatest orator of his generation. You read about the great classical orators and this man might put them to shame. But most of his speeches while beautifully delivered aren't exactly memorable. Other than one. Not the speech he gave 24 hours ago, but one he delivered ten months ago in Philadelphia. This was his speech on race in America soon after the Jeremiah Wright scandal broke out. I've heard the speech on TV and YouTube but this is also a great speech to read



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obama many times has hardly any new to say or anything substantive to say but the delivery and choice of words makes the difference for him....he's a great speaker, I remember when i first saw him in the 2004 Democratic convention and i tried replicating his speech in a school debate and ended up stammering all the way....i think that's my favorite and the Iowa primaries one is another..

However, i think Reagan or Blair were more articulate....that's because they had good oratory skills, they combined rhetoric and reasoning and Reagan was a very good President better than Kennedy and FDR.Borrowing a line from 24 s 7, he answered the questions of his day and left his successors with questions arising of his decisions. The media does not credit him enough, he after all played a major part in the fall of the Soviet Union. His speech of 'ash heap' bears testimony to both his conviction and he saw what no one else saw back in early 80's.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, but he doesn't write his speeches does he? Amitabh Bachchan can deliver dialogues better! Sorry for the wet towel, but I don't like the way we are kissing ass. Don't be too surprised if he is soon renamed Barack 'Moses' Obama!

Anonymous said...

Without the teleprompter, he is just an average speaker ... surprised by the ignorant praise showered