Thursday, July 19, 2007

Obama's Voice Problem

Obama started his career as a community organizer, and he thrives when he's doing grass-roots work. It's his appeal, but it also exposes a potential flaw: he's running for commander in chief now, not city council, and Obama's aides are acutely aware that his approach doesn't always translate in a modern presidential campaign. His set-piece speeches are often received in respectful silence, not rapturous applause; his political rallies can turn into policy workshops. In his first TV debate, Obama seemed hesitant, uncomfortable with the time limits. ("These formats don't suit the style of a man who speaks in paragraphs," says a senior aide who, like other advisers and confidants NEWSWEEK interviewed, declined to be named talking about campaign strategy.) Though the ailment is easy to diagnose, the usual remedy—more stage-managing—can kill the candidate. John Kerry and Al Gore, the last two Democratic presidential nominees, bounced from one persona to the next as consultants tried to "correct" their personalities. Publicly, Obama hasn't shown signs of suffering from such whiplash, but the pressure to adapt will only mount.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18999830/site/newsweek/
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Candidates should always reveal their true personalities to the public and not the personalities their consultants want them to portray. At the end of a long day, a candidate might not even realize who he is since he's been trying so hard to be someone else. A candidate can never truly be as honest and passionate as the image he tries to be. Acting as another person 24 hours a day can be as hard as trying to fit into a glove 2 sized too small; tiring and painful.

Hopefully, Obama remains solid in his political viewpoints and his own personality and avoid the artificial "winning" image his consultants wants him to adapt.

1 comment:

lil grape swisha said...

I agree that a candidate should be honest with himself and others. If his point is getting across and people are responding then he should go for it. But if his speeches lack confidence then people might not respond as well as they did to the confident candidates of prior elections who were puppets to their platforms.