It took a week for Obama to change his position and INCLUDE the prospect of offshore drilling for oil based on polling that indicates Americans want more drilling. We talked about it Monday in Could it be a gusher for McCain?
I’m watching Obama’s press conference now. He’s not polished. In fact, he looks nervous. He read entirely from script initially, and now he’s on the defensive with reporters. I hope you are watching this. It’s downright awkward. He’s almost whining!
Let’s see…Republican John McCain initially held a strategy regarding the war in Iraq; Obama adopted that stance. McCain stated a preference for offshore drilling, President Bush lifted the presidential ban, the public stated the preference, and now Obama is on board.
So what’s left to differentiate the candidates? Yep, race. Anything else? How about his socialist policies. We’ll get to that next week.
Update – from ABC News.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Lucky Lady // Aug 2, 2008 at 6:52 pm
When Obama is following a script, some think he is so eloquent. But when he has to speak off the cuff, he sure has a lot of “ah’s, um’s ” and stuttering. He does seem very nervous. Have you noticed that he never looks straight ahead into the camera when he speaks? He keeps shifting his head to the right and left, never forward. It drives me crazy!
2 Shawn Matson // Aug 2, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Thats what you are supposed to do, Lucky Lady. That’s called good oratory–believe me I did speech all throughout high school and looking at the camera is not the point, it’s to scan and connect the audience.
Some people just don’t know good speech because they are used to seeing talking heads in a television box.
3 BrkfldDad // Aug 3, 2008 at 9:33 am
Kind of right Shawn, but… While moving the head is good oratory, that’s not why Obama does it. You’ll note in on virtually all televised speeches, not just from Obama. And you’ll also note that the speakers go side to side and stop in nearly the same spot everytime on each side. Why, we’ll that’s where the teleprompter screens are. Good oratory has you scattering your glances, and making contacts with all parts of the audience.
These guys are reading from script on the teleprompter. Sometimes you can see them in the shot, they look like a glass pane tilted slightly backward when you see them from behind. When you see them from the podium, they act as a flat screen with the text of your speech scrolling.
4 Cindy Kilkenny // Aug 3, 2008 at 9:59 am
Ancient orator here. Make contact with all the audience, indeed, but for television, make contact with the camera. That’s your audience. How silly would it look if the local news anchor was bobbing around constantly? This was a press conference. His audience was not the 4 dozen reporters in the room; they know him. His audience was America.
5 Shawn Matson // Aug 3, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Also, I don’t know if y’all knew but Obama uses two teleprompters on his sides well McCain uses one straight back by the cameras like the traditional setup. That might explain it better.
6 Cindy Kilkenny // Aug 3, 2008 at 12:11 pm
There were none being used at the press conference.
7 Shawn Matson // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:21 am
Cindy, I am NOT talking about the press conference, I was saying when they use teleprompters. I just find it interesting and wasn’t trying to be snarky–you just always assume I am.
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