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The Teleprompter

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  • Joe and Steve, you both need to shut the fuck up and take this to whispers, e-mail, IM, or the fucking boxing ring. If one of you stops but the other doesn't, don't respond. Be the bigger person. And for fuck's sake, stop clogging up our threads with your bickering.

    Both of you.

    You're both in the wrong.
  • OK, so getting this disaster back on track, a teleprompter, to me, is no different than notecards. If it keeps the speaker, ahem, clean and articulate, I'm all for it. It doesn't mean that they have diminished public speaking skills; hell, most people still can't give a good speech even with notecards or a teleprompter. I can't tell you how many symposia I've attended that've been utterly ruined by a Ph.D. just reading his Powerpoint slides to the audience.

    Being a good public speaker isn't really about what you say; it's how you deliver it that matters.
  • edited March 2009
    I don't really have a problem with teleprompters, but I see them as a symptom of the Hollywoodization of politics. Think about it: The whole point of a teleprompter is to lie. It's to create the false sense that the speaker is being impromptu. We all know the words are carefully planned out and written by a third party, but there is still some compulsion to pretend that the speaker isn't looking at notes. We know he's reading, but we all take part in this idea that he isn't. Why do we need that kind of pretense? It's pure, blatant showmanship. It's the movies.
    Post edited by Jason on
  • I don't really have a problem with teleprompters, but I see them as a symptom of the Hollywoodization of politics. Think about it: The whole point of a teleprompter is to lie. It's to create the false sense that the speaker is being impromptu. We all know the words are carefully planned out and written by a third party, but there is still some compulsion to pretend that the speaker isn't looking at notes. We know he's reading, but we all take part in this idea that he isn't. Why do we need that kind of pretense? It's pure, blatant showmanship. It's the movies.
    Welcome to politics, hope you survive the experience.
  • I don't really have a problem with teleprompters, but I see them as a symptom of the Hollywoodization of politics. Think about it: The whole point of a teleprompter is to lie. It's to create the false sense that the speaker is being impromptu. We all know the words are carefully planned out and written by a third party, but there is still some compulsion to pretend that the speaker isn't looking at notes. We know he's reading, but we all take part in this idea that he isn't. Why do we need that kind of pretense? It's pure, blatant showmanship. It's the movies.
    Welcome to politics, hope you survive the experience.
    I don't know - those speeches are kind of long... when would politicians have time to memorise and practice speeches that they don't even have time to write themselves? I think we should have realistic expectations - anyone who has ever done public speaking should know that you always have notes... because when you lose your place and have to go impromptu, it's usually easier to pick up on, and if you're a policitican, chances are that will be blasted all over the world within seconds and people will "lose faith in a great leader" because of his inability to coherently deliver a speech.
    OK, so getting this disaster back on track, a teleprompter, to me, is no different than notecards. If it keeps the speaker, ahem, clean and articulate, I'm all for it. It doesn't mean that they have diminished public speaking skills; hell, most people still can't give a good speech evenwithnotecards or a teleprompter. Being a good public speaker isn't really aboutwhatyou say; it's how you deliver it that matters.
    My sentiments exactly - I just had to repeat them in my own words to avoid plagiarising ;)
  • OK, so getting this disaster back on track, a teleprompter, to me, is no different than notecards. If it keeps the speaker, ahem, clean and articulate, I'm all for it. It doesn't mean that they have diminished public speaking skills; hell, most people still can't give a good speech evenwithnotecards or a teleprompter. I can't tell you how many symposia I've attended that've been utterly ruined by a Ph.D. just reading his Powerpoint slides to the audience.

    Being a good public speaker isn't really aboutwhatyou say; it's how you deliver it that matters.
    I agree, except that being a great speaker is about a combination of delivery and message. If someone chooses to read a dense work with no public appeal, even the greatest delivery will be useless.
  • Looks like there are afew kinks to be worked out.
    To be fair to Obama, the Irish PM took a while to notice that he was giving the same speech that Obama had just given. Sounds like a cavalcade of fail all around.

    Still doesn't bother me that anyone uses a teleprompter. As I said before, I liken it to note cards.
  • This is my favorite video of teleprompter mishaps.

  • edited March 2009
    Live by the teleprompter, die by the teleprompter?
    Post edited by RedShirt on
  • I think it's hilarious that the cons believe this is even an issue. It just shows how desperately they're still grasping for straws.
  • edited March 2009
    Who here has implied that this issue has import? Just because something isn't important on a geo-political scale does not mean that it isn't worth talking about. Diversity isn't a bad thing. Be a little less defensive and enjoy the banter.
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • Who here has implied that this issue has import? Just because something isn't important on a geo-political scale does not mean that it isn't worth talking about. Diversity isn't a bad thing. Be a little less defensive and enjoy the banter.
    I don't have a problem with these light issues, as long as people don't take them too serious.

    Honestly, I can't believe people can make the amount of speechs a president has to period, with or without a teleprompter. Is it just me, or is Obama giving a speech or a person press conference nearly every day.
  • Well, he did pretty damn good in Costa Mesa yesterday, and I didn't see any teleprompters.
  • edited March 2009
    So, when was the last time that a president called a town hall meeting while in office, passed around a microphone to the audience, and answered unscripted questions?

    Oh, right, never.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • edited March 2009
    I see that the White House claims that the questions were not screened during the town hall meetings. That's pretty impressive. (Leno wouldn't ask anything difficult - we know that.)

    Huffington says that this is major damage control for the AIG blunder. Whether or not she's right, it's good to see that he's listening.

    The risk, as I see it, is that people will be angry that he's distracted by his "celebrity" while serious issues need to be tackled. But that never seemed to hurt Bill Clinton.
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • The risk, as I see it, is that people will be angry that he's distracted by his "celebrity" while serious issues need to be tackled. But that never seemed to hurt Bill Clinton.
    You sure it's more of that the Media is distracted by his celebrity..

    Then again, he's probably constantly signing stuff, for enemies and friends... (remember that article about when all those republicans came to his get together, acted like star-struck teens and then voted against the bill he was trying to get them to pass).
  • Time to go back to the teleprompter.

    I think it's political correctness gone amok, but I'm not held to the same standard as the president.
  • edited March 2009
    I think the US media is grasping at anything they can to pull down Obama because they had such a free ride with the idiot in power for the last 2 terms.
    You can tell when somebody is using a teleprompter in verbatim, such as the news vs. someone who is using it for prompts.
    Everything is about delivery of the message rather than the message itself - welcome to the real world.
    I can convey information or knowledge in multiple vocal deliveries and it will cause clients to choose which medical or surgical option to use if any at all - even though I know which one is best.
    Then you get the snafus of whether you've been too technical and the lay person turns around and says they want to see another doctor because they didn't understand what I said because I didn't dumb it down enough.
    Delivery of the message has more than 70% impact than the plain facts stated, as mentioned above.
    He's the President, he has to sell himself to you.

    Please type in paragraphs, and separate them with blank lines. This was difficult to read. - Moderator
    Post edited by Rym on
  • Re. teleprompter kerfluffle. Is this a big issue, I don't think so. I'm tossing it in as the same sort of situation as Bush and his pronunciation of Nucular instead of Nuclear. They use it to make fun of him, but in the scheme of things, it's unimportant.
  • Re. teleprompter kerfluffle. Is this a big issue, I don't think so. I'm tossing it in as the same sort of situation as Bush and his pronunciation of Nucular instead of Nuclear. They use it to make fun of him, but in the scheme of things, it's unimportant.
    Bush's mispronunciations and mangling of the language were unique to him. The hard thing to understand about why the cons are so obsessed over the teleprompter is that everyone uses a teleprompter:

    image

    I guess if your side has been so thoroughly defeated that a draft-dodging, drug addicted, college dropout has become leader of your party, you just desperately try to use any schoolyard-bully ploy to make yourself feel better. I'm surprised none of the cons have observed that "Obama" sounds like "Osama" lately.
  • edited March 2009
    The hard thing to understand about why the cons are so obsessed over the teleprompter is that everyone uses a teleprompter:
    You missed the point. It's not the fact that Obama uses a teleprompter. It's the amount that he uses it.

    No wonder why you were so confused by this discussion!

    Important stuff, no. Fun banter, yes. It beats becoming depressed over the government giving millions of dollars to AIG employees who didn't deserve any of it.
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • edited March 2009
    I appreciate that he uses the technology, that's great for the technical community. But to me carrying a Teleprompter to every event make it seem that someone is is pulling his strings. The fact that he uses one is fine, everyone in that business uses one but the fact that he carries it around bothers me.
    Post edited by Sir_Xander on
  • Not to derail, but.... Another thing that really bothers me is the dispute over his birth place, and why he is spending millions to hide his past. In my mind, he should just come out with it and quell the argument. Any thoughts?
    If you want to derail this thread in that direction please stop.

    Make a new thread if you want to but please don't bring that topic into this thread.
  • Another thing that really bothers me is the dispute over his birth place, and why he is spending millions to hide his past. In my mind, he should just come out with it and quell the argument. Any thoughts?
    It's a crazy concern raised only by crazy people.
  • If you want to derail this thread in that direction please stop.
    Second.
  • edited March 2009
    I appreciate that he uses the technology, that's great for the technical community. But to me carrying a Teleprompter to every event make it seem that someone is is pulling his strings. The fact that he uses one is fine, everyone in that business uses one but the fact that he carries it around bothers me.
    He's been without the teleprompter many times. He didn't use the teleprompter at the Costa Mesa town hall. He didn't need a teleprompter to beat McCain.

    The real problem is that the cons are saddened by the fact that Obama makes their last president look like an idiot. Not even the best teleprompter could help GWB.

    image
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • Joe, while I agree with you on a basic level, why are your posts always steeped in a "morning scream at Emmanuel Goldstein" adversarial flavor?
  • Why do they like the two screen teleprompter? I mean that makes you looks shake your head a lot. I'd go with a three screen teleprompter so I have something to look at in the middle.
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