As a Pol Sci major who’s volunteered for many campaigns, I always try to look objectively at an opponents TV ads, campaign literature, debates, etc. I can usually say “Wow, the other guy put out some great lit” or “Whoa, we took it on the chin there”.
Biden’s performance was better than expected. I suspect (but can’t say for sure) that they had him wired up on Mountain Dew, Aricept and legal amphetamines. I also suspect that he was reading from a teleprompter.
But at the same time, Biden needed something big tonight. Something flashy, something big that would make people say “Hmmm, maybe there’s more to this guy than I thought”. He smiled a few times and showed brief flashes of enthusiasm (perhaps contrived) but for the most part, his speech was pedestrian.
To his credit, he didn’t stumble much in his speech. But per above, he didn’t say anything that really stood out to me. Maybe he was playing for the angle of trying to look calm, organized and statesmanlike. His handlers knew that he had to appear that way and so he was very measured.
All in all, I give him a C- for a grade.
I also suspect that he was reading from a teleprompter.
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Of course he was reading from a teleprompter. But his idiot technical folks couldn’t even position the teleprompter and camera so that it would appear he was looking directly at his television audience.
Great to hear your analysis with your training in political speeches.
Biden’s speech was indeed uninspiring. But what can you expect from a Straw Man.
T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men: A Poetic Tribute to Straw Man Joe Biden
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3870470/posts