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I liked Obama's speech better when I heard the first time...

by Conn Carroll | July 25, 2008 at 8:34 AM

The left has very succesfully used humor (think Daily Show) to drive Bush and GOP negatives through the roof among young voters. Obama's complete inability to take a joke will be his downfall too. NRO's Jim Geraghty has the best take on Obama's Berlin speech I have seen so far:

There was not a ton to object to, and indeed a lot to like, in Obama's speech in Berlin. Although I think I preferred it the first time I heard it, when it was sung by all those celebrities and rock stars back in the mid-80s.

Oh, wait, that was "We Are The World."

UPDATE: Pop quiz, hot shot. Pick out the "We Are The World" lyrics vs. Obama speech lines.

A: "We can't go on pretending day by day that someone, somewhere will soon make a change."

B: "This is the moment we must help answer the call."

C: "But if you just believe there's no way we can fall."

D. "The world will watch and remember what we do."

E. "Let us realize that a change can only come when we stand together as one."

F. "We cannot afford to be divided."

G. "These now are the walls we must tear down."

H. "This is the moment when we must come together."

I. "They'll know that someone cares, and their lives will be stronger and free."


We Are the World: A, C, E, I.

Obama's Speech: B, D, F, G, H.

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Comments

Jim Geraghty is the poo, is he not?

Submitted by lagomorph on Fri, 07/25/2008 - 17:46.

I feel the need to wash that speech down with a Coke now.  Or maybe a Pepsi. 

The other punchline

Submitted by Freedoms Truth on Fri, 07/25/2008 - 21:06.

would be "... in the original German." (Molly Ivins on a Buchanan speech)

Now, his vapid and vague Changey, Hopey speechifying doesn'tfit that punchline as well as the venue.

I gotta say Garaghty's take really hit home ...

E. "Let us realize that a change can only come when we stand together as one."

Boy, that's a toughie.

It wont hurt him *if* he gets to specifics in other venues. It's not like the Gore-Unabomber parallels. The man Is a rock-star after all, why not have rock-star-level political speech. The problem is the assumption that you can say he has no depth. I've seen more than my share of Obama-koolaid drinkers assure us the Obamessiah is "deep" because they visited his website and marvel at the specifics, as if nobody before him ever thought to have an actual campaign agenda.

 I think OTOH the speech can be picked apart for its inability to say *anything* serious, which was a difference, deep difference, with JFK or Reagan. Both JFK and Reagan pledged support for Germany and challenged players on the world stage on multiple points. obama did nothing of the sort.