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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Oops!

In reference to my earlier posting about President Obama using a teleprompter to speak in front of school kids, I have been informed by "Anonymous" that this was a debunked story from January (of which I was not even aware). As Anonymous pointed out, after initial derision on the blogosphere, it was learned that Obama was actually addressing reporters in a school classroom after initially meeting with the kids.

The reason I ran with this story was that I had seen a reference on TV news this morning to Obama speaking in front of kids using a teleprompter. Assuming it was a new story, I went to the Internet and came up with this video (from January). Thus, Anonymous rightly jumped on me-even calling me a "curmudgeon"!

Well, unless there is a new school teleprompter incident floating around out there, it looks like I am in fact, a curmudgeon.

This is my second major blooper. A couple of years ago, I ran with a story about Anderson Cooper being involved in a high speed car chase and asking for confirmation. It was a spoof. (Of course, according to Lance, this would be my 672nd screw up.)

So to Anonymous I say thanks for holding my feet to the fire. Do you still think I am a curmudgeon?
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12 comments:

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Of course, according to Lance, this would be my 672nd screw up.

More like your 745th. Oh, and this brings you up to 746.

May 19, 2010 at 6:44 PM
Lance Christian Johnson said...

And hey, some anonymous guy points out a mistake and gets a whole post devoted to the mistake?

I feel so...so...betrayed.

May 19, 2010 at 6:53 PM
Gary Fouse said...

At least I admit my mistake. I'm still wondering why there was some mention of it on tv today.

May 19, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Miggie said...

Gary,
You should still put up the picture of Bush addressing the kids without any of the Secret Service or tele prompters helping him out.

Actually Obama has had only 40 odd give and take press conferences so far and Bush had over 100 at about this same time.

The fact remains that Obama is uncomfortable without a teleprompter and frequently steps in it when he has to speak without preparation. That was NOT the case with Bush.

May 20, 2010 at 1:14 AM
Anonymous said...

You should still put up the picture of Bush addressing the kids without any of the Secret Service or tele prompters helping him out.

Do I really need to repeat this again? OBAMA WAS NOT SPEAKING TO KIDS WHILE USING THE TELEPROMPTER. HE WAS GIVING A PREPARED STATEMENT TO THE PRESS.

The fact remains that Obama is uncomfortable without a teleprompter and frequently steps in it when he has to speak without preparation. That was NOT the case with Bush.

Yes, and we all remember what an eloquent speaker Bush was. Wait, what? Huh? What kind of bizarro world are you living in???

May 20, 2010 at 9:46 AM
Gary Fouse said...

Anonymous,

Let's be honest; most of our recent presidents have not been great speakers.

Old proverb: Show me a great speaker and I will show you ....a great speaker.

May 20, 2010 at 9:56 AM
Lance Christian Johnson said...

Let's be honest; most of our recent presidents have not been great speakers.

And let's be REALLY honest. Does Obama often use far too many pauses when he speaks without a teleprompter? Yes. Still, Obama on his worst day is better than Bush on his best. For Pete's sakes, a friend once gave me an entire calendar filled with Bushisms - each day had a new verbal gaffe. Bush makes Obama look like a History Channel rendition of Abraham Lincoln.

And to Anonymous: It's kinda like hitting your head against a brick wall, ain't it? Yet for some reason, you're compelled to keep doing it!

May 20, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Miggie said...

" HE WAS GIVING A PREPARED STATEMENT TO THE PRESS.

Duly noted. He ALWAYS gives prepared statements to the press and to anyone else who will show up. Obama does not give very many give and take press conferences or interviews other than with those who are already in the bag.

Your adoration of the Anointed One and visceral hatred of Bush puts you into a group of other people who choose to identify themselves as anonymous. I imagine not one of you wants to be the last one to admit he is embarrassed that he voted for Obama.

Keep on watching those scripted performances while the disaster turns into a catastrophe. Be comforted by the worsening economy, the burgeoning debt, the increasing unemployment, the disastrous foreign policy, the spending and the growth of the statist state. Enjoy the Obama soaring rhetoric and hang on to your Bush Hatred... it comes in handy if you need to deflect criticism or place some blame.

May 20, 2010 at 3:29 PM
Lance Christian Johnson said...

Miggie, you are like a cartoon. Nobody's "adoring" Obama here. I guess if you fact check, and the facts go against conservative propaganda, that automatically means that you're an Obama true believer according to conservative black-or-white philosophy.

The point is pretty simple, but you are too dense to get it.

May 20, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

Just for the record, I know Miggie personally. He is not dense. He is a senior citizen (sorry, Miggie) who is very wise and experienced in life. You simply disagree politically.

May 21, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Lance Christian Johnson said...

Give me a break, Gary. Perhaps he isn't normally dense, but he's being incredibly dense on this issue. He doesn't even understand the point that Anonymous was making. (At least, his responses show no comprehension of the point that's being made.)

Sorry if he's a friend of yours, but I gotta call it like I see it. It's one thing to disagree; it's another thing to not even be able to address the issue at hand.

May 21, 2010 at 6:40 PM
Siarlys Jenkins said...

Wasn't it George W. Bush who spontaneously observed "The problem with our imported oil is that most of it comes from other countries"?

On a more serious note, while I don't like the notion of teleprompters, and I loved the scene in "A Very British Coup" where the prime minister dispensed with the message on the teleprompter, while pointing out its presence to his audience...

...if I knew that every word I said would be twisted and turned for any negative meaning that could be squeezed out of it, I think I would want to plan in advance exactly how I said everything in public too. Its simple self defense. I would prefer to work off of my own written notes, but then, I've noticed how that can break up a politician's presentation too. There is no good answer.

Now when I see President Obama sitting at a kitchen table talking to a family, or standing on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico talking to fishermen put out of business by BP, I would be very concerned if he had a teleprompter. To my knowledge, in these situations, he doesn't. His every word is also not broadcast live as he speaks.

May 28, 2010 at 2:07 PM

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