When a sitting president fails to inspire and motivate even the most liberal of columnists during a DNC nomination speech, you know that speech must have truly been a dud. So it was for Barack Obama last night…
EXCERPT:
Obama: A Pedestrian and Overconfident Speech
by Michael Tomasky
Let’s be blunt. Barack Obama gave a dull and pedestrian speech tonight, with nary an interesting thematic device, policy detail, or even one turn of phrase.
…This was the rhetorical equivalent, forgive the football metaphor, of running out the clock: Obama clearly thinks he’s ahead and just doesn’t need to make mistakes. But when football teams do that, it often turns out to be the biggest mistake of all, and they lose.
…The night’s big thematic device, the “it wasn’t me, it was you” business, sounded like a somewhat forced attempt, frankly, to come up with…something. He was trying to re-inspire the Obamabots of 2008. But it felt very superficial to me. Nothing in this speech was developed, nothing given hard thought, nothing that built to a great moment. Jeezy peezy, did Mitt Romney give a better speech last week? Not quite, but almost.
…If he comes out of this convention with under a three-point bounce, that will constitute a horrible missed opportunity. This thing was teed up for him to build a five-point lead. If there’s little movement in next week’s polls, then there’s also little doubt whose fault it is. Michelle did her job, and Clinton more than did his. LINK
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NOTE: I must disagree strongly with Mr. Tomasky on one particular point – Mitt Romney’s speech was in fact a far stronger offering than was Barack Obama’s last night. What Obama gave was yet more platitudes that have been rehashed over and over again the last four years. What Mitt Romney did was manage to successfully introduce himself to a far wider swath of Americans than was possible during the Republican primaries – and based upon the reasonable post-convention bump in the polls, Mitt Romney succeeded.
As for Barack Obama – not so much… -UM
NOW the Cornered Rats will pull out all the stops?
It can be assumed that what Tomasky wanted was MORE socialism. Freidman/Krugman are what every Democrat means when they complain that Obama has not done enough. In brief, do the same damn thing AGAIN! I’m glad he was disappointed but it is a failure of socialism generally, something no one of this ilk will ever admit. Obama will be bussed before that.
From Wikipedia: “Tomasky was born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. He attended West Virginia University as an undergraduate and then studied political science in graduate school at New York University.” Did he actually graduate? One wonders how such a mediocrity can claim marketable wisdom.
His take on how he thinks “Obama” believes he is ahead reminds me of Nancy Pelosi ONE day before the 2010 elections saying she was very confident the Dems would retain the House. Apparently “Obama” was so unprepared shocked by the 2010 slaughter that he didn’t even have Boehner’s phone number!
I do believe that “Obama” has no idea what’s about to happen to him.
Yes, I believe you are right. Bari lives in such a micro-managed tiny bubble that he is oblivious to his surroundings.
To PF: “Bari lives in such a micro-managed tiny bubble that he is oblivious to his surroundings.” And oblivious tha his bubble is about to pop!