Anyone see Obama on Larry King? Is it just me or was he awful?

[BlooInBloo]

I could only stand a few minutes of his uh-uh-uh-stutter-stutter-uh-uh-you-know-uh-uh before giving up on it.

Did I not give it enough of a chance? Or did he sound completely unprepared throughout?

[Gloria]

1. I've noticed he's pretty unimpressive without a prepared speech.....

[Erika]

3. He ranked a 100 against any GOP candidate

Or who in the GOP did you think do better?

[BlooInBloo]

11. Trigger, meet hair. Hair, trigger.

:rofl:

[Auntie Bush]

7. Isn't that the same problem bush* has?

I'm watching the repeat and I'm not impressed. In fact I'm very surprised. I thought he was such a great speaker and I'm very disappointed.

[ElizabethDC]

8. Well, Bush isn't even impressive with a prepared speech. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

52. True! But he does a much better job with prepared speeches and at

times personable...especially when he's campaigning and using his cheer leading/Joe six pack persona. Creeps me out!

[Tellurian]

29. Answering questions is totally different from reading from a prepared speech..

BHO admits copying the style of his favorite local preacher.

He comes across differently when answering questions. Not quite as sure of himself.
I fell asleep out of boredom.

[Ethelk2044]

38. I Like Him not preparing

He is showing he is like one of us. He is not just for show like some other politicians. They test whatever they say to make sure they come across smooth. What we need in office is a real person to handle real situations. Not someone in there just for the large corporations.

[jaxx]

2. I have the rerun on now.

WTF did he mean about redeploying and then sending the troops back in? I hope I heard that one wrong.

[leftchick]

33. that is exactly what "redeploying" means.............

send a few thousand troops out of Iraq to say, Kuwait or Oman and let them sit until the civil war really explodes. Then send them to hot spots as needed with lots of air power. Redeploy is just another angle at staying the course.

This is what the Democrats really need to say, explain our huge bases and that US palace in Baghdad and disown them. Say we need to bring the troops HOME, out of the middle east and back on US soil. Oh and, Fuck the oil.

[David Dunham]

4. He needs 4 more years of practice.

[ElizabethDC]

5. He was only okay

I watched the first several minutes, but then turned it off out of boredom. I think to some degree he could end up suffering from high expectations - people expect him to be a brilliant speaker (which he usually is, when in front of large crowds), but it translates differently in an interview like that.

[antiimperialist]

6. I've heard the uh, oh, uh before

I think this is just the way he talks.

[BlooInBloo]

10. I sure don't remember that from the Democratic Convention, but I'll take your word for it.

[antiimperialist]

I'm talking about interviews

He was giving a speech back then, which is different.

[BlooInBloo]

18. Ah. Gotcha.

[antiimperialist]

9. Sincere politician vs. calculating politician

Here is how two different types of politicians would describe president Bush.

Calculating politician: Uh, oh eh, ah.
unpretentious politician: "The devil came here yesterday ...and it smells of sulfur still today."

[Ethelk2044]

41. Sincere Politician

A sincere politician does not have to test everthing that comes out of their mouth. It is a person who speaks from the heart. Not someone testing everything just to make sure they say what the listeners want to hear and then don't give a damn about you in the end. They rather give money to large corporations instead by tax breaks. Give me a break.

[beachmom]

54. Good God -- get a grip that Chavez is not your friend, just because

he doesn't like Bush. Chavez is pulling stuff in Venezuela that is very alarming. And he's interfering in other elections in Latin America, like Nicaragua, who now is led by Ortega.

[antiimperialist]

62. There are many reasons why he may be my friend

The premise that his hating Bush does not necessarily make Chavez my friend does not exclude all other reasons that I could use to consider him my friend.

Putting the needs of the poor first, for example, makes me see him as my friend.

And by the way, why did you infer that the sole reason why I consider him my friend is because he dislikes Bush?

[liberalpragmatist]

12. He may have had an off day

I haven't seen the Larry King interview, but other interviews I've seen with him have been quite good.

If you're interested, here's one from 2002:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXzmXy226po

[sandnsea]

13. Sounds fine to me

Yeah, he needs to do something about that occasional "uh", but other than that, he's doing great. Get real.

[BlooInBloo]

14. LOL!

[The_Casual_Observer]

15. Who, King?

[BlooInBloo]

16. rofl! Sorry - I meant: Obama sounded extraordinarily stutter-y to me. lol!

[VA_08er]

17. Uh Oh...

Hillary's Uh Police are out again...

[BlooInBloo]

28. lol! I finally get it - you're saying I work for/support Clinton! lol!

Just because I reported hearing something less than sterling about another candidate. Gotcha.

It's because of people like you that Atrios wrote this:

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2006_12_17_atrios_archive.html#116645724148144035


DUers slay me. They really, really do.


EDIT: "because of" -> "for"

[devilgrrl]

19. What happened? Did he mispronounce 'nuclear' or something?

:shrug:

[BlooInBloo]

20. I don't know how to describe what I saw any better than I did in the OP - sorry.

[Connie_Corleone]

23. He just has a bad habit of using uh's and ah's while speaking.

He needs to work on getting rid of them.

[Connie_Corleone]

21. He's always had the uh's and ah's while being interviewed.

It's just the way he talks. Some people talk like that. It's something he has to work on, that's for sure. It is an annoyance when you hear it. I still like him. He just needs to get rid of the uh's and ah's.

And for the poster who wrote that it's a sign of a calculating politician, the uh's and ah's is a bad habit, nothing more. He's not sitting there trying to be calculating after every question he's asked.

[RB TexLa]

22. Don't you have to talk about actors or musicians on that show?

[Erika]

24. Obama did great.

He sounded like a thinking American rather than a politician. He's great.

[caledesi]

35. I agree. He looked very comfortable. The "uh" thing is his way

of thinking bec if you notice, after the uh pause...he rarely screws up what he then says.

[NNN0LHI]

43. I agree with you. He hit a home run out of the park n/t

[wake.up.america]

55. I agree. I saw it today. He was thoughtful.

[live love laugh]

25. Oh Gawd. Is this the beginning of the Obama criticsm contingent?

Where do I sign up!?

[BlooInBloo]

26. Sometimes a cake is just a cake.

[live love laugh]

27. NOOOooooooo.

:sarcasm:

[seabeyond]

40. it is legitimate criticism that he should really do something about. he is a smart

man. it is a habit. he needs to work it out of his speeches. they make listening to him very hard. and he has something to say, i want to listen

[ben_meyers]

30. King just got over here, not just awful

He was God awful. Please don't compare Him to Bush, He ain't running against Bush! He has to run against the TV, and He didn't do a good job tonight. Bill Clinton did a stem winder at the 88 convention and followed up with a real good interview on the tonight show. Reagan could read a script like it was going out style, but they kept Him away from "live interviews" Actually Bush does fairly well in small groups and one on one interviews, He can't make a speech to save his life.

Obama had better learn to pick His spots. Perception is reality.

[caledesi]

36. Obama ISN'T scripted. In fact he writes his own campaign

speeches. That is probably why he uses the "uh" thing. That is why he stands out. Ever read his books? Captivating author. Read his books, then tell me he is not impressive!

[TayTay]

44. Bill Clinton's '88 speech at the Atlanta Convention was panned

severely by the critics. They noted that when Clinton got to the part of the speech that said, "in closing" that everyone started clapping. He did not do well at that convention with that speech. He went on TV and did damage control because the buzz was that he boring.

Clinton Concedes Speech Bombs
AP Online, Sec. National Political News (07-21-1988)

ATLANTA

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton conceded Thursday that his nominating speech for Michael Dukakis bombed, but he said the Dukakis campaign wanted him to give a serious address.

Clinton said he cleared the 19-page address with Dukakis and his top aides before he delivered it Wednesday, and, ''They loved it.''

''They even added some things to the speech. They said, 'This really makes the case for a Mike Dukakis candidacy,''' said Clinton.

''They wanted Ann Richards to be funny, then for me to present the serious case for Dukakis,'' Clinton said outside the convention hall. Richards, Texas treasurer, delivered the keynote address on Monday night.

Clinton said when he got up to the podium Wednesday night, he realized the placard-waving crowd, full of pent-up emotion after two days of a convention dominated by Jesse Jackson, did not want to hear a solemn address.

''I just fell on my sword. It was a comedy of errors, one of those fluky things,'' said Clinton. He acknowledged it was ''a bust in the hall.''

Clinton's talk ran 35 minutes, more than twice the allotted time. Delegates shouted ''Wrap it up!'' and drew fingers across their throats. They saved their loudest cheer for when he began, ''In closing ... ''

Clinton ignored a flashing red light on the podium. At one point, House Speaker Jim Wright edged close to urge him to finish.

''The yellers took half my speech time,'' Clinton complained.

Television anchors made Clinton the butt of wisecracks. A Cable News Network anchor ended an interview with him Thursday with the jibe, ''A flashing red light is here. We've got to stop now.''

Mike McCurry, a spokesman for the Democratic party, said the speech was ''clearly longer than we had anticipated.'' Clinton apparently revised the speech up until the last moment, McCurry said. ''I guess, should I say, revisions or additions?'' McCurry added. But he defended the speech as a worthy endeavor because it ''laid before the convention a great deal of information it was important to have on the record.''

[whometense]

49. I remember that.

All they could talk about afterwards was how boring and long-winded he was, and how people were applauding him just because he finally stopped talking.

[karynnj]

57. That was also what he joked about on the talk show

It was considered that he was so bad that he had shot himself in the foot on the national stage. In fact, it ended up working to his advantage because he was so disarmingly in describing how bad it was. This was one of many come back kid moments.

The best convention (non-nominee) speeches I remember were Obama's, Jesse Jackson's and Cuomo"s - all very different all very good. Clinton's was one of the very worse - boring and too long - Did he hate Dukakis?

[karynnj]

58. That was also what he joked about on the talk show

It was considered that he was so bad that he had shot himself in the foot on the national stage. In fact, it ended up working to his advantage because he was so disarmingly in describing how bad it was. This was one of many come back kid moments.

The best convention (non-nominee) speeches I remember were Obama's, Jesse Jackson's and Cuomo"s - all very different all very good. Clinton's was one of the worst - boring and too long - Did he hate Dukakis?

[blm]

50. Clinton's 88 speech is widely considered to be the most boring convention speech

in modern history.

Hmmm.... I wonder, with all his natural gifts for speechmaking, why he couldn't deliver for Dems in such a key role that year?

[symbolman]

31. I've noticed his Uhs and Ahs before

and it was annoying after a while, but then I realized that it's only a sign of INTELLIGENCE.. he's actually THINKING about what he's saying, unlike other people who either talk nonsense, like Bush or slick politicians who talk a mile a minute and have you buying beachfront property in Arizona before you know it..

He really needs to see a speech coach and learn a diversion tactic so that he doesn't blow it with that little problem.. think how easy it would be for someone to just cut everything he says out except for the Uh's and Ahs, and destroy the guy with a "Dean Moment"..

That's been worrying me, cos I like the guy :)

[RC Quake]

53. He really needs to go to a few Toastmasters meetings.

Uhs and Ahs are extremely irritating to the average listener. I would completely disagree that they are a sign of intelligence, they are simply a filler word while gathering thoughts. A slight pause is much better and sounds much more intelligent. Think about it, a pause of 5 seconds makes people want to know what is next. The uhs and ahs just irritate and make people tune out.

Book TV is one of my favorite "background noise" shows while working around the house. The TV gets shut off immediately if the speaker uses too many filler words. Try listening without watching sometime. It's really apparent then.

[karynnj]

60. I doubt anyone at the local toastmaster's could have given the

speech he gave as well as he did in 2004 or his announcement speech.

The "uhs" I've heard are only in non-skipped speeech - and are better than some of alteratives - "you know", "I mean". On CSPAN, it seems some of the Senators whose later words are more carely chosen are the ones more prone to any of these devises.

[Alamom]

32. He's not great with interviews...a little more experience is needed, perhaps.n/t

[caledesi]

34. You. He was not campaigning. It was an interview. And the

uh..uh...being annoying? Tucker Carlson started this about the uh..uh thing. Is that the best TC can do? Uh, I never even noticed it until ol' Tucker started.

Would you like to hear * trying desparately to speak English?

[quinnox]

37. Didn't see it but

I have seen him on tv giving interviews in the past and he is just ok. He is obviously an intelligent guy, but he isn't polished. For instance John Edwards is very polished and smooth on tv, he makes a great impression. This is critical in the tv age. Obama, not so much. Even Hillary Clinton is improving in this area. I think Obama will flame out quickly and won't be a factor in the primaries.

[seabeyond]

39. i uh.. cannot stand uh... all the uh.... uhs uh... he has in uh... his speeches uh...

i had noticed this a while ago. i would have thought long ago that would have been taken out of his speaking. but it is really bad.

[Ninja Jordan]

42. He's been a bit off lately. His speech at the firefighters meeting was lacking

he may be getting burned out.

[Catherine Vincent]

45. So Biden was wrong about Obama...he's not articulate.

:)

[Bucky]

56. But you did notice that he looked pretty clean there, right?

My favorite Larry King moment remains the time Donald Trump told him on air that he had bad breath.

[mnhtnbb]

46. Edwards is going to run rings around Obama and Hillary in debates--if he can raise $$

to stay in it until then.

[LSK]

48. and I wish Gore would announce yes or no so I can go support Edwards

Im getting tired of waiting around.

[mnhtnbb]

61. I just gave Edwards $100. to help him stay in.

[LSK]

47. you mean Larry King actually had a relevant show???

[NYCGirl]

59. And Hillary Clinton and John McCain were also invited to appear. They declined.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/posted_by_mark__2.html

[Mass]

51. No, he is just somebody who does not repeat talking points on TV

but thinks before he speaks.

I know this is a very novel concept, people not repeating talking points and rehearsed answers, but, if we care about honesty, Obama is better than others.

When I hear a politician repeating word for word the same answer twice, I run away. He is not speaking with his heart, he is acting. No thank you.