Thoughts on Obama's speech...

[Eraserhead]

I thought it was a really good speech. I don't know if there were any immortal lines for the textbooks in there. There probably weren't. He sounded kind of like a liberal though (amazingly enough). He didn't write off big government like Clinton did. He said that we needed to keep a "watchful eye" on the markets. He actually mentioned "non-believers" for once when talking about all of the different types of American people. He talked about bringing an end to our adventures in the Middle East and preserving our freedoms at home.

So, overall, I dug the speech. I may post some more thoughts on it later on. Please, feel free to share your own.

[Lunar]

Does anyone else think the constant cut to shots of black people crying was a bit tiring?  It feels cheesy unless it's Oprah. 

[Franzl]

I liked it.

I don't feel like typing exactly what I feel about it. , but I think it was done really well.

[Sam Spade]

I thought it was ok.  Nothing special, but not terrible.  Was kind of laundry list for a while...

OTOH, someone needs to control Aunt Esther's wardrobe choices.

[Nym90]

The speech itself was pretty good. The moment is certainly one that will live with me forever.

[Matt Damon™]

A pretty good speech. I actually have to give him credit. He mentioned the energy and infrastructure issues that we have. He didn't go on a big spree about how big government was needed. Also, he mentioned non-believers when talking about all the kinds of Americans which is a good call.

[JSojourner]

Very good, not great.  But appropriate.  The word that kept filling my mind over and over -- with every single shot of Obama on camera -- was "serious".  And I was reminded of one reason Torie (a Republican here for whom I have inestimable respect) said he reluctantly voted for Obama.  "This is a serious man", he said.

Smiling or not, Obama seemed serious.  I never got that from The Decider or Clinton.  This could amount to precisely one very small hill of beans.  It's just an impression...and those are worth zip.  I merely note it...and take some comfort in the probability that we have a very serious man at the helm of the ship.  Hopefully, surrounded by both serious men and women and a few harmless goofballs...just to help him keep his sanity.

As I have said before, if I were Obama, I would demand a recount.

[Torie]

Overall, it was pedestrian, too much of a campaign speech, and some of the rhetorical flourishes were near plagiarism or rather awkward. It left not only me flat, but the crowd.

At least it was better than that friggin' "poem." Ouch!

[Eraserhead]

The crowd? They seemed pretty into it.

That poem was hilarious though.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

It wasn't great, but it was good, and it was miles ahead of that awful poem.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I thought it was ok.  Nothing special, but not terrible.

^ This.

Although I was personally pleased that Obama made reference to the nonbelievers of America in his address, I thought his speech sounded too much like a stump speech rather than an inaugural address. If anything, I was expecting a speech similar to the one he gave after McCain conceded.

[J. J.]

I only caught the last 15 minutes, but I'm still waiting for him to surpass the SC speech.  His catch line of "pick ourselves off ..." was embarrassingly trite.  I did like the address to the Muslim world.

I just heard Aretha Franklin; how could she be so bad.

[Jake]

The crowd? They seemed pretty into it.

Not anywhere as near as expected.

I thought he had some great lines about our responsibility to the world and it laid out what he HAS to do in the next eight years. Overall, decent, but not one that will be remembered for its own merits.

My favorite parts:
OBAMA: To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.

And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

x

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

(APPLAUSE)

So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.

x

OBAMA: But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

[Torie]

Overall, it was pedestrian, too much of a campaign speech, and some of the rhetorical flourishes were near plagiarism or rather awkward. It left not only me flat, but the crowd.

At least it was better than that friggin' "poem." Ouch!

Here is more about Obama generously partaking of the rhetoric of those before him in his speech. I almost at times had a sense of deja vu all over again.

In any event, it was one reason I marked down the speech to a gentleman C.   Heck, I could come up with reasonably good rhetorical flourishes that are original. Why can't Obama?

[Eraserhead]

Overall, it was pedestrian, too much of a campaign speech, and some of the rhetorical flourishes were near plagiarism or rather awkward. It left not only me flat, but the crowd.

At least it was better than that friggin' "poem." Ouch!

Here is more about Obama generously partaking of the rhetoric of those before him in his speech. I almost at times had a sense of deja vu all over again.

In any event, it was one reason I marked down the speech to a gentleman C.   Heck, I could come up with reasonably good rhetorical flourishes that are original. Why can't Obama?

To be fair, he obviously has, in the past.

[Lief 🗽]

I thought the line where he was like "we are willing to reach out a hand, if you are willing to unclench your fist" was pretty cool, but I'm a man who loves his metaphors.