My failure to know what's good for me had me watching the news again yesterday, only to start - within 30 seconds - shouting at the TV. As Cranmer so aptly puts it of Obama's Berlin speech: "Ich bin eine Katastrophe". Obama has form though (Jan, Feb); the more people say what a good speaker he is the more I cannot stand what he says or how he says it. Previously I've called it cringe-worthy pap and banal piffle, convinced his speech-writers are taking the piss; Nile Gardiner calls it "pure mush, another clichéd “citizens of the world” polemic with little substance." Most of the German press weren't much more impressed (scroll down to "German commentators on Thursday, however, seemed largely immune to the charm offensive".
3 comments:
A pedant writes:
The JFK/GWB/Obama audience thing on Cranmer's page is a little playful and misleading as the topography of the Brandenberg Gate would not permit the size of audience JFK got, and this was invitation only and everybody had to sit in a Grandstand.
Don't know if you've been watching The Five on Fox at all but I detect a little battle fatigue even last night after the last Tea Party rally and all the recent scandals. All hope seems to be place on the 2014 mid terms and the hope that sufficient people watch the TV campaigns which is hoped will remind people of what has happened in 2012/13 - so far.
I just had another thought about what you wrote how he says it and I think this is quite common because politicians have to be all things to all people - even those who don't understand or want to understand politics.
I like (if that's the right word) listening to George Osborne but don't like Ed Balls or either Millibands, didn't like Tony Blair and really can't stand William Hague's professional northerner accent but Philip Hammond always sounds sensible and sincere as does Danny Alexander.
Hi Paul, thanks for your comments. Re 2nd message I agree 100%. Re 1st in the comments it is pointed out that it a by invite only, I think Cranmer had taken Nile Gardiner at face value and posted almost word for word...I myself point this out in the comments.
To be honest it wouldn't have made a difference if the whole of Germany was out listening, what Obama said was shite, the way he said it was shite and he looked like a bag of shite. :-)
Post a Comment