US 08 Presidential Campaign General Discussion Thread #8

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by yolland

Has Oprah ever had a national-level politician on her show before? I know she endorsed Obama and appeared at a few early primary rallies, then got so much flak from viewers for being 'too political' that she dropped her plans to continue (which I'd imagine is a factor in her wariness at the idea of having Palin on her show). She's hardly a serious political interviewer anyway; it's just a tabloid talk show.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by yolland

Has Oprah ever had a national-level politician on her show before? I know she endorsed Obama and appeared at a few early primary rallies, then got so much flak from viewers for being 'too political' that she dropped her plans to continue (which I'd imagine is a factor in her wariness at the idea of having Palin on her show). She's hardly a serious political interviewer anyway; it's just a tabloid talk show.

you highly underestimate oprah's influence. she is our supreme leader, we just don't know it yet.

[yolland]

I don't watch television (heinously unpatriotic in itself, I know), so my estimation of her dictatorial skills may be lacking.

[deep]

giving Oprah a little more thought

Has Joe Biden done Oprah yet?
If not, just don't book Biden and say you have no plans to book the Republican VP either.

Has she had McCain on ?

If not, it would be a smart move.

[anitram]

Originally Posted by deep

giving Oprah a little more thought

Has Joe Biden done Oprah yet?
If not, just don't book Biden and say you have no plans to book the Republican VP either.

Has she had McCain on ?

If not, it would be a smart move.

I'm pretty sure Biden hasn't been on ever, and I haven't heard plans for him to be on either.

Oprah said that she has never gotten involved in a campaign before Obama. She also said that she doesn't think donating $ to him is the most constructive thing she can do, so that is what she will use her influence for instead. It is most certainly her prerogative.

[joyfulgirl]

I think the smartest thing for her to do would be to have Obama on 4 or 5 more times, and no one else. Okay, maybe Biden once.

[anitram]

For comparison...

in Canada, it looks like the Prime Minister will call an election on Sunday. The election will take place in 5 weeks, on October 14th. That is all the campaigning we will have to stomach.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by anitram

For comparison...

in Canada, it looks like the Prime Minister will call an election on Sunday. The election will take place in 5 weeks, on October 14th. That is all the campaigning we will have to stomach.

Yes, but we still have to put up with those god-awful ads for the Conservative Party for the next month and a half

[mobvok]

Originally Posted by 2861U2

I know. I'm just disappointed. If she doesn't have her on, she'd be putting her politics above what would be really great television and surely a ton of viewers.

You really think Sarah Palin appearing on Oprah ~ a month before the election wouldn't be an obvious political vehicle? So *unless* she allows that, Oprah is the one using her show politically?

OPRAH'S STATEMENT: "The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this Presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."

OK, Palin will be on after November, when it's no longer political. Sounds reasonable. Does anyone know if she had Obama on after she endorsed him?

[TheEdge U2JT]

Looks like Obama...the master orator, has been watching GW Bush for speech tips.

It a bummer when your teleprompter craps out.

I recall the same thing happening to Palin and Guliani at the RNC on Wednesday, yet you couldn't tell with either of them.

YouTube - Obama without his teleprompter

[DaveC]

God forbid someone making speeches every day forgets a phrase in one of them.

[TheEdge U2JT]

Forgets a phrase? Did you watch the same clip? Be real. Thsi is not the only time he has looked foolish when he has had to speak without the benefit of a script. If this was either McCain or Palin, the liberal media and the liberals would be calling her Dan Quayle and saying McCain is another Bush...although they are trying to say the ladder for different reasons.

I just think it is laughable how everyone makes this guy out to be a great speaker. He is just very good at reading off a sheet. He going to get killed in the debates. Maybe he can just avoid the questions there by saying its all above his pay grade.

[2861U2]

Originally Posted by TheEdge U2JT

I just think it is laughable how everyone makes this guy out to be a great speaker. He is just very good at reading off a sheet. He going to get killed in the debates. Maybe he can just avoid the questions there by saying its all above his pay grade.

Don't you know? When Obama talks like that, he's just being....uhhhh.... uhhh.... uhhh.... uh..uh.. nuanced, and... uh... uhh... uh.... thoughtful.

I myself have never understood how people are praising him as a great speaker. I just don't see it, in ANY of his speeches. He's no better than others I've heard.

[namkcuR]

You can pick the ten clips of Obama stumbling over his words all you want, but there's probably five hundred other ones where there's no problem at all.

[Se7en]

maybe someone should mine youtube for all of mccain's mistakes too. that would be really constructive.

[LMP]

Originally Posted by TheEdge U2JT

Forgets a phrase? Did you watch the same clip? Be real. Thsi is not the only time he has looked foolish when he has had to speak without the benefit of a script. If this was either McCain or Palin, the liberal media and the liberals would be calling her Dan Quayle and saying McCain is another Bush...although they are trying to say the ladder for different reasons.

I just think it is laughable how everyone makes this guy out to be a great speaker. He is just very good at reading off a sheet. He going to get killed in the debates. Maybe he can just avoid the questions there by saying its all above his pay grade.

Originally Posted by 2861U2

Don't you know? When Obama talks like that, he's just being....uhhhh.... uhhh.... uhhh.... uh..uh.. nuanced, and... uh... uhh... uh.... thoughtful.

I myself have never understood how people are praising him as a great speaker. I just don't see it, in ANY of his speeches. He's no better than others I've heard.

I think anyone can read off a sheet or a prompt, but the ability to articulate the thoughts well and connect to an audience is something that's hard to attain. Comparing the delivery of Obama's and McCain's acceptance speeches at their respective conventions really illustrates this. Everyone's going to stumble at some point, so it's unfair to draw this conclusion based on one negative clip.

[phillyfan26]

This is for real? Talk about making stretches.

As someone who works in the field of professional speech, it's not hard at all to state with legitimacy that Barack Obama is an exceptional public speaker.

And a very good speech writer, I might add.

[Screwtape2]

Originally Posted by TheEdge U2JT

Looks like Obama...the master orator, has been watching GW Bush for speech tips.

It a bummer when your teleprompter craps out.

I recall the same thing happening to Palin and Guliani at the RNC on Wednesday, yet you couldn't tell with either of them.

Honestly, you should be able to finish your own thought even if you lose your teleprompter.

[Diemen]

Honestly, when you give as many speeches as Obama does, you're going to have tongue-ties and slip-ups.

The simple fact that someone is actually trying to use this as some sort of case against him is just laughable.

[Diemen]

Originally Posted by TheEdge U2JT

I recall the same thing happening to Palin and Guliani at the RNC on Wednesday.

Actually, that teleprompter malfunction was just a myth.

Palin Teleprompter Didn't Break

Sarah Palin delivered a powerful speech last night, but she did not "wing it."

Which is what Erick Erickson, citing sources close to McCain, has written on his blog, RedState.

Erickson writes that "the teleprompter continued scrolling during applause breaks. As a result, half way through the speech, the speech had scrolled significantly from where Gov. Palin was in the speech."

This claim has been picked up on Drudge and could quickly enter into the insta-mythmaking about a speech that need not be embroidered.

Perhaps there were moments where it scrolled slightly past her exact point in the speech. But I was sitting in the press section next to the stage, within easy eyeshot of the teleprompter. I frequently looked up at the machine, and there was no serious malfunction. A top convention planner confirms this morning that there were no major problems.

Erickson writes that the same malfunction happened during Rudy Giuliani's speech earlier in the night. Again, I watched the teleprompter during this speech, and it worked without problem. Giuliani, as is his wont, simply decided to go off-script and add some new lines, such as one attacking Obama for his "bitter" comments.

But I'll let you get back to the substantive issues.