WaPo's Cillizza: 'Obama's Speech More Substance Than Style'

Photo of Noel Sheppard.
By Noel Sheppard (Bio | Archive)
August 28, 2008 - 23:41 ET

Regardless of what Barack Obama said in Denver this evening during his Democrat presidential nomination acceptance speech, it was a metaphysical certitude most mainstream media members would love it.

Such appears to be the case with the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza who quickly posted his opinions concerning the junior senator from Illinois' moment in the sun at the paper's The Fix blog:

Obama's speech was more substance than style; more specifics than rhetorical flourish.

Really, Chris? Could you name some specifics? All I heard was the same laundry list I've been hearing from most Democrat presidential nominees going back to Walter Mondale.

But there was more:

The speech was, by in large, meaty. Obama avoided soaring rhetoric until the final moments of the address perhaps for fear that an address heavy on oratory would be picked apart by Republicans as more evidence that he is heavy on style and light on substance.

You felt this was meaty?

Hmmm. I must have been watching a different station.


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He's not the only

August 28, 2008 - 23:45 ET by MikeknaJ

He's not the only one who's opined, and some disagree.

8:47 PM PST. Olbermann called out the AP for an analysis that
Charles Babbington (sp?) just wrote, where he did not praise the Obama
speech. Olbermann said that it was a failure on the part of the
organization (the AP) to allow this to be published, and he told
Babbington to find new work.

Way to keep it balanced, Keith!

 

"Look, when Keith anchors, he plays it straight down the line.” MSNBC President Phil Griffin

http://www.xanga.com/mikeknaj

"The shadow proves the sunshine

"Way to keep it balanced,

August 29, 2008 - 00:25 ET by ckc1227

"Way to keep it balanced, Keith!"

Don't worry, he'll make up for it next week in Minneapolis when he likes none of the speeches.

Krauthammer nailed it

August 28, 2008 - 23:51 ET by KC Mulville

On Fox, after the speech, I thought Krauthammer was dead on. He said that the speech wasn't filled with soaring rheotric or flowery phrasing, because we'd heard that from him before. And after Berlin, it had become self-parody. So, no matter what he did, Obama would have to deliver a non-messianic speech.

But he had already booked the stadium.

He was forced to deliver a chapel speech in a cathedral. (That's my analogy, not Krauthammer's, but it was his idea.) He's a good speaker, and he did the best he could with it, but it was the wrong speech for a stadium.

KC... Thanks for the

August 29, 2008 - 00:10 ET by bigtimer

KC...

Thanks for the summation of what Krauthammer said...they announced they were going to go to him before the commercial break...my hubby turned it afterwords so I never got to hear what he said.

Plus thanks for what your summation is, says it all even more to me...I agree....and then some.

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

It was meaty like a hamburger

August 28, 2008 - 23:57 ET by Dee Bunk

trying to be passed off as a steak.

a hamburger withi e coli(es) - that made healthy people sick

August 29, 2008 - 00:02 ET by Dee Bunk

those with the built up immunity were fine.

It was a Barackwurst with

August 29, 2008 - 09:45 ET by stratman

It was a Barackwurst with sawdust filler. Looks good in its package (the "hope") but grits your teeth and winds up an unsatisfying waste of money (a bad "change").

 

RRAM Tough! 

It was a sermon.

August 29, 2008 - 00:01 ET by supercon

Not a plan.

 

Victory in Iraq.

Liberals suck.

McCain for Preznint.

Chris... You just watch

August 29, 2008 - 00:27 ET by bigtimer

Chris...

You just watch for the meaty parts of your messiah's words to come back and bite him in political TV ad's...

They will.

Now that will be meaty to me....there is plenty to chew on. 

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

I agree BT - there is a lot of fodder there

August 29, 2008 - 00:43 ET by Dee Bunk

If McCain uses it correctly.

I think he should have an ad that showcases all his lies. Show his answers at Saddleback then the bad reviews and then the changed rhetoric.

I'd definitely put really blatant lies like how he said McCain said middle class was people making $5 million. McCain could say how the taking things clearly out of context is dirty tricks and lies. McCain said $5 million was rich not middle class and he was joking and said they would probably use it.

Noel...

August 29, 2008 - 00:35 ET by AgentAmerican

First, enjoyed the chat...

Obama's speech was almost as if it was a recycled collection of the same, tired Democrat talking points we've been subjected to all election year. It was nothing new. The speech could have been delivered by someone else and it would have been better. Obama looked ordinary and generic.

Of course, the MSM would still spew the same favorable drooling if Obama had been pulled over for DUI and failed the sobriety test. In their view, the Manchild can do no wrong.

Same goes for the Plagarist Biden.

Drill ANWAR

Obama's socialistic view of economics

August 29, 2008 - 00:58 ET by Doug R

Here is the most glaring example of Obama’s lack of understanding of how economics works.During his acceptance speech last night he asserted

“for over two decades, he's (McCain) subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy: Give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.”

Who or what “gives” more and more to those with the most?  Does he view lower taxes as “giving” to those with the most?  That’s like a second burglar that takes less from you “giving” you some extras.  The government is not “giving” wealth to anyone.  The government can only take and redistribute.  The government takes wealth from all of us in the form of taxes.  Wealth is produced by business owners and entrepreneurs. Apparently Obama subscribes the old, discredited socialist idea that everything you own and produce is the government’s property, and it is the government’s role to redistribute wealth as Obama sees fit.

The tagline

August 29, 2008 - 09:16 ET by Unsane

Hence the tagline: 

Whoever casts a vote for Obama-Biden is nothing more than a common thief.  Whoever fails to vote against them is nothing more than a moral coward.

And to wit, my parents and I were heading to a ball game in Houston and while driving down the road I pointed out a few cars with Obama bumper stickers.  And I told my parents: "Look guys, ANOTHER thief!  Another person who wants to steal from other people just for being successful!!!"

Substance?

August 29, 2008 - 02:27 ET by KJ_sez

Yeah, that speech was full of some kind of substance, all right. Same kind of substance you find in grazing pasture when the equines have finished their meals and vacated their bowels.

Our minds belong to Obamadaddy

August 29, 2008 - 05:51 ET by pocomoco

Feelings, whoa, whoa whoa, feelings ……..

So went Barack Obama’s presidential acceptance speech as many in the stadium shed tears at the plethora of platitudes contained in his ‘America’s all wrong’ speech.

You must remember that Democrats are a ‘feeling’ bunch where facts are inconvenient truths and, as such,  have little time for common sense and reasoned thought. They like to be told by others what to do rather than think for themselves.

Obama is the pied piper of their minds as he promises them Nirvana in four years.

And that is why they love Obama, because he’s telling them that he will do the thinking for them.