Conservatives truly are weird people. Like their mocking tone of Obama because he uses a teleprompter, as if memorization is the true test of intelligence. Sure, Obama plays a key role in the creation of his speeches, as did Bill Clinton; while Bush and most Republicans are little more than sock puppets reciting a script...but Obama and that teleprompter.
And so it's odd to read from Erick Erickson at Redstate that Palin "Winged" her speech last night, because the McCain campaign says the teleprompter didn't stop for the applause breaks, forcing her to deliver it from memory. But, unless I'm mistaken, "winged" doesn't mean memorized. It means that they created it while they were speaking. And that's most definitely not what happened. Palin recited a speech that was written for her and whether or not she used a teleprompter, she didn't write it. These weren't her thoughts. These were the thoughts she was told to say and she did it. And for that, we're supposed to imagine that has some huge advantage over Obama.
And of course, as Jonathan Martin at Politico points out, there was no problem with the teleprompter and she read off of the damn thing, just as the dreaded Obama does. Again, not that I understand exactly what's wrong with a teleprompter, as memorization is a trick that some are better at than others and isn't indicative of one's ability to be president (though it should be remembered that we're talking about people whose favorite president was an actor). A politician who can wing a good speech is one thing, as it indicates that they really understand what they're saying, but even children can memorize other people's words. It's like these jokers have never seen a stage play before.
The fact that the best Erickson can crow about is that Palin supposedly has this ability is a clear sign of the level of desperation emanating from the right. They know they're supposed to be ecstatic that Palin is on the ticket, but they're still having trouble explaining why. And trust me, so am I.
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4 comments:
Telepromters either work or they don't. They're not set to automatic timers. There are telepromter specialists that upload the speech and sit there with a laptop following along with the orator, speeding up or slowing down the text as the sock puppet reads them. During a dress rehearsal they can add or remove lines on the spot.
So even to say that it "didn't stop for applause breaks" is a bold-faced lie.
Let's see. The Obamanable Showman's prompter broke down---and his speech broke down. I saw a reverse angle shot of Sarah and noticed that as the crowd went wild, the prompter was still chugging away.
Didn't stop her, because she's a better public speaker than Obama---which is why he's run to O'Reilly tonite with his tail between his legs.
I think the point, Dave, is so what?
Sarah can memorize lines and speak them on cue. It's a skill, but it doesn't make one more or less (vice) presidential.
If it makes you happy, more power to ya, but I suspect that folks outside the pubbie bubble will more'n'likely expect tricks more Presidential than the ability to recite the lines one has had written for them.
After watching McCain's speech, I'd be curious to know what Dave thought of McCain's brilliant teleprompter skills, and whether we should judge John based on the standards Dave so thoughtfully set for Obama...
(I'd imagine not.)
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