Obama needs to look at the American people when he makes a television address to the nation

I did a search to see if this had already been discussed but did not find anything so...

At the news conference today I again see our president swinging his head side to side, not looking into the camera at us. I have seen him do this at other televised speeches to the people.

I would like to see our president, as I have seen other presidents, look directly into the camera to "speak" to the American people instead of swiveling his head side to side at his news conferences. I don't buy the teleprompter excuse, that he is looking at the teleprompter...come on speak to US.

It is tough to look someone directly in the eyes when you are actively screwing them and lying to them at the same time.

...and you will see this on every televised speech from any person in the entire world when there are people in the room, IE..the press.

That would be because there is a teleprompter on each side of the podium. He moves his head from side to side to make it look like he's not reading but, ironically, it makes it look even more mechanical and read from a script. DOH!!!

reply to post by sharintexas

He's the President. He doesn't have to do anything you ask.

Same reason Bush didn't have to be intelligent.

I honestly don't think Obama is familiar enough with the material of any one speech he's giving to look away without losing his place and actually becoming stumped in the middle of "his" own speech. Personally, I expect to hear years after he's left office, that he rarely took any involvement in speech writing and wasn't known to even read through them more than needed for a basic sense of the order of things.

He's a trained public speaker and one of the BEST ones I think we've ever seen. His very considerable talents start, run and end right there, with that one life skill. However masterful he is at it, get him off a teleprompter and he's a fool with almost no grasp of the basic issues in play. The ultimate one trick pony, that's Barry.

Yeah, I watched his last speech and the speech he made in 2008, He never looks at the camera. If your going to direct issues, you should at least look into the camera at the people. Can't believe anyone voted for him, but obviously it was no brainer, because everyone dropped out. No competition there. And Mc Cain that was joke. Like, really, where was the COMPETITION? Obama, just walked into office with no fight.

reply to post by sharintexas


You only look someone in the eye when you are genuine.

This gent is an ideologue. He wants to solve the problems his way. The means justify the ends. He would rather pass socialist legislation and expand the state with a DOW at 5,000 than implement limited government policies and have a DOW at 15,000. He'll essentially be in the bunker soon, working the phones, raising cash for the next election.

The market is in free fall. Here is an investment tip - don't donate any money to the Obama reelection campaign.

reply to post by Kali74


I would ignore it mostly, people will hate regardless because they are biased in one form or another. Closed minds from the start stay closed, and team politics reigns here.

reply to post by ShogunAssassins


Too true...

EVERYONE who appears on television uses a prompter of some sort. The President is the ONLY one who appears on TV and who does this left, right, left, right, left, right - pause center, left, right thing. This is a rote pattern, he never breaks from this.

This would be odd in and of itself, but if you go back and look at Bush's speeches you'll find the exact same pattern. Odd that both would do the exact same thing, given that solving the problem is simple. In fact, several times Bush used and earpiece to feed him lines and still did it. The look just like, exactly like, the animatronic characters at various amusement parks.

Clinton did not follow the pattern. Regan looked down, then up and side to side on occasion, but did not have the robotic moves.

I wonder why they make robotic, un-human like moves when speaking to people?

reply to post by ShogunAssassins


No bias or hate here, just seeing it as it is.

reply to post by crankyoldman


I can remember in dire times our Presidents sitting at a table speaking and looking directly at us..into the camera.

Originally posted by micmerci
It is tough to look someone directly in the eyes when you are actively screwing them and lying to them at the same time.

Brilliant sentence.
I was going to say that you never seem to look at the things that you dispise the most.
But you worded it so much better.

Star for you

Look into the camera at the American people?

Something more like this?

The guy is a terrible orator, and, obviously, not very bright.

reply to post by sharintexas


I have a better alternative for not just Obama but all politicians: Don't read a teleprompter at all.

Anybody with a high school education can read aloud, and from what I've seen recently the only real qualification you need to be president is the ability to read a teleprompter.

Politicians should speak truly to the American people, reading a pre-written script doesn't exactly get the peoples attention. I don't know who wrote what the president is reading, for all I know David Rockefeller could be writing these speeches in his palace of gold and just handing them to the next-in-line puppet.

reply to post by sprtpilot


I agree wholeheartedly! He's an even worse President though!

In President Obama's defense:
Why would one look at those that one ignores? I wouldn't!

See ya,
Milt

Originally posted by Cryptonomicon
reply to post by sharintexas

 

He's the President. He doesn't have to do anything you ask.

Same reason Bush didn't have to be intelligent.

Wrong my friend. Being the President means he has to do EVERYTHING we ask. Seems like a lot of people, especially the bunch of numbnuts we keep sending back to D.C., forget that the government works for us and not the other way around.

reply to post by OldCorp

Wrong my friend. Being the President means he has to do EVERYTHING we ask.

Yes, OldCorp....it's a sad state of affairs today that Americans have come to believe that because a person is the president of the United States, he can just do as he pleases without having to answer to anyone. Have we been brainwashed or what?