Comparing McCain & Obama’s Tuesday Night Speeches
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, McCain, Republicans, VideoObama’s a gifted speaker. Probably one of the best I’ve ever seen. So McCain definitely had his work cut our for him.
However, I don’t think anybody was expecting what we saw. Because from the tagline he stole from Obama to his uncomfortable, stilted delivery, McCain’s speech has been widely seen as a big time flop. And this coming at a time where most people are just starting to pay attention.
TPM has more reactions…
People I’ve talked to in the past couple days saw Obama’s speech and got goosebumps. McCain’s speech simply made them scratch their heads. And this is across the political spectrum.
Now obviously this isn’t a campaign about speeches, but being able to rally people with your words is part and parcel of being an effective leader. So McCain will need to demonstrate he can ignite the imagination of the electorate or else he is absolutely doomed.
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, McCain, Republicans, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:00 am
First, I’m convinced McCain can ignite the imagination of a fruit fly let alone a member of the Republican party.
But, seriously, it wasn’t the delivery that was so bad for me… it was that creepy smile.
June 6th, 2008 at 5:32 am
He looked like Edgar from Men In Black. Caaaaaghk, sugar, in waaater. Caaaaaghk. That’s not change we can believe in. Caaaaaaaghck.
June 6th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Obama is hoping that the next president of the United States will get elected based on the goosebump-inducing factor, not on ideas, reason, or policy.
June 6th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Jimmy: Yes, we all know the Obama is a complete idiot who wouldn’t know his own butt if it bit him in the face, so it’s a good thing he can speak eh?
WHAT!?!?
You must be totally blind, deaf and ignorant if you think that Obama has no idea’s or reason OR policy. Have you even tried looking for information about Obama, or do you just beleive what your right-wing friends on the TV and radio tell you?
It’s ok to not like Obama, but at least have the common curtesy of accecpting that he probably isn’t that dumb…
June 6th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Ahh, the old all speech no substance argument.
OK, let’s suppose for a moment that Obama lacks ideas, reasons and policy.
What ideas, reasons or policy is McCain trumping Obama’s oratory with?
Ideas…all I’ve got from McCain is “Stay the course in Iraq”, “I don’t know anything about the economy” (he will be killed on this sound bite), and “I’m not Obama.”
Reasons…”I was a war vet!” “I’m a maverick!” And the dangerous, “I have a track record of reaching across the aisle!” (Something that will appeal to moderates but alienate the base–he cannot win without both). “I’M NOT A BLACK GUY WHO WENT TO SCARY BLACK CHURCH!”
Policy…FEAR THE ISLAMOFASCISTS! LET’S START ANOTHER WAR! REFUSE TO NEGOTIATE (even though most of the country wants to sit down and talk).
The beauty of Obama is that he is a relatively clean slate, free to paint a picture of himself to the majority of voters–provided the Republicans don’t paint a picture of him first.
This is the real race here. McCain does not have a lot going for him beyond his maverick persona and that will not be enough. To win, he needs to paint a nasty picture of Obama.
I will even grant you that for the vast majority of Americans, Obama lacks a tangible track record to run on, so his candidacy is going to be about image and ideas.
Does this sound familiar? It should. This is the election of 2000 all over again. Bush was all about image, ideas and a name–somehow, an average student, coke-head, draft-dodging reservist, thrice failed businessman with a short record (and a largely bad one, too, given the record deficits and environmental disaster that was Texas) as a Governor managed to become President. His inexperience and failures were plain to anyone watching, but somehow people voted for him.
This is why I was never too keen on Obama–I want a track record of accomplishment. Can he win? Sure, Bush proved it and Obama’s personality alone gives him an upperhand over what Bush had to start with.
I will also say that Obama’s sketchy track record leaves me uncomfortable. Not so sure I want him to win, though, given the disaster that Bush has presided over. Are we looking at another president whose
inexperience will lead to disaster, whose ideas to ruin?
My only reason for hope is that I think the Democrats will be very careful to govern to the middle so as to not hand the reins back to the GOP in four years. And, unlike Bush, his ideas are not platitudes, but based on a sincere
June 6th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Jimmy, come on man…this is getting old. Obama has just as many policy proposals, if not more, than McCain…and you know that. But yes, a President is also supposed to be an effective at communicating his or her agenda. And Obama is head and shoulders above McCain in that area.
And to that point, more than anything this is a cautionary tale for McCain. He struck out big time on Tuesday. And in so much as this is important, McCain has got a lot of work to do to close the gap.
Also, I’m being a bit selfish here, but if the guy does become President and he gives speeches like that, I’ll have zero faith in him as a leader. He didn’t even sound like he believed what he was saying. And after having 8 years of a President who made speeches that sounded like he was talking to me as if I were a 2nd grader, we need something vastly different. Obama offers that. McCain has yet to.
June 6th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Personally after having a president for 8 years with little experience, a lack of knowledge of foreign policy and a whole list of ideas that just weren’t realistic, I really am not looking forward to Obama. That and having a possible 60 Dem Senators and Dem Congress that has been waiting a long time to propose a whole slew of bad ideas, count me out on the Obama Revolution.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Exactly.
There is essentially no difference policy-wise between Hillary, Obama, or any populist, left-of-center candidate that the Democrats could offer, and if Obama was some old white dude who’s voice was low and mumbled, but said the exact same things that Barack is saying now – he would be routed in any election, and you all know it. Listen to this SanFransisco douchebag spouting out that Obama is some enlightened, spiritual trancendent, being. Gag.
He is simply the “I am not George Bush” candidate all over again, but unlike John Kerry, he is not running against Bush so he needs that extra kick. The novelty of being the first black president, his youth and charm, and his ability to make people swoon over platitudes like “Hope” and “Change” are more consistent through time than John Kerry’s reporting for duty.