Is right's obsession with Obama's teleprompter racist?

Solon ^ | March 30th, 2010 | Alex Koppelman

[Zakeet]

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist badly needs some help in his Senate race, as he's currently trailing fellow Republican Marco Rubio. He'd hoped to get some of that help with an endorsement from retired Col. Bud Day, a former Swift Boat Vet. Instead, Crist got a new round of controversy, thanks to some remarks by Day:

[Snip]

"You've got the black one with the reading thing. He can go as fast as the speed of light and has no idea what he's saying," Day said. "I put Rubio in that same category, except I don't know if he's using one of those readers."

This all seems to be related to the idea, inexplicably almost now taken as gospel on the right, that Obama can't speak without a teleprompter. At the New Republic, Jonathan Chait calls this a "racist trope" and suggests that this particular example is, essentially, Rubio's chickens coming home to roost, as the former Florida House speaker has used it himself.

I'm not quite as sure that the idea itself is tied to racism; clearly this example has some serious racial overtones, and that may be a part of it, but I also think it's tied to a desire on the part of some Republicans to get some intellectual vindication for former President George W. Bush. What do you all think?

[KeyLargo]

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[Batman11]

“Are you Freepers obsessed with my little crutch — and if so, does that make you racist pigs? “

It might if you weren’t mostly white?

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"This all seems to be related to the idea, inexplicably almost now taken as gospel on the right, that Obama can't speak without a teleprompter."

Ain't nothing inexplicable about it Alex ... POTUS takes a teleprompter to a class of 12-year-olds because he can't even speak naturally to a bunch of pre-teens. Please, please, please remind me of the last time Obama looked into a camera or directly at a group of folks and told them what was on his mind or in his heart without his head being on a swivel. It is a darned rare occasion and, when he is 'off prompter', his favorite word is ahhhh.

[Servant of the Cross]

If that's 'racist', ANYTHING is racist! Impeach TOTUS!

[Loud Mime]

Obama without a Teleprompter

[rarestia]

There was a great article on Slate (I had to read it for school) about the declining linguistic prowess of world leaders. Obama is proof that oration is no longer a necessity for leadership. It used to be that public speaking was undeniably necessary for a politician to rise up.

Obama won his presidency due to the Internet. The age of radio and TV speeches are gone in lieu of electronic rhetoric.

Slate.com: Ask Not Why Inaugural Addresses Are So Rotten

Funny article on the decline of function usage of the language:
Slate.com: The Hottest Rhetorical Device of Campaign '08

[McGruff]

Are our presidents learnin?

[Arrowhead1952]

I think there are a lot of politicians who seldom if ever use a teleprompter. Remember the notes Sarah Palin had on her hand? The DUmmies made fun of her for that, so eff zero and his crutch.

[incredulous joe]

“LOL! The left has officially become a caricature of itself!”

It is funny, but that benchmark was passed long before the Beer Summit. The press is actually a caricature of a caricature of its former self.

Olberman and Matthews are considered to be serious newsmen.

I can’t wait for the physics of the ratings system to swallow them all as it is doing to other media outlets.

[TomGuy]

... inexplicably almost now taken as gospel on the right, that Obama can't speak without a teleprompter.

Apparently, Koppelman has never heard Obama attempt to speak without a teleprompter.

Koppelman should review some of the many vidoes of The Uh-Umm-Uh-er in Chief sans teleprompter. Some videos show up to 7 continuous minutes of hem-hawing by The O.

[Overtaxed Patriot]

I just assumed the teleprompter was white because I never noticed any particular “dialect”.

[Farmer Dean]

I suppose that mentioning that his lips look blue is racist too.

[moovova]

Racism!!!?

Shoot, I don't even know what color his teleprompter is...

[madinmadtown]

Regardless of what we say, of whatever our actions are, the Left will call us racist. End of story. How the Left could connect the teleprompter with racism is mind-boggling.
My observation is that even the dumbest professional athlete can stay on topic in front of a camera, even after physically exhausted from a game, but Obama cannot.
Yes, we were upset that Bush was always portrayed as a dummy and the Left felt that Obama was the antidote to that perceived ineptitude, but Obama has betrayed the Left not us. The Left reminds us of Obama’s race day after day after day. Quite honestly, I don't think many Conservatives think about his race at all. It is his ideas and his lies, the constant lies that we cannot tolerate.

[TomGuy]

EVERY criticism of 0bama is racist!

A planned strategy designed for that purpose -- to marginalize the opposition.

Obama used it, effectively, against Hillary Clinton in the primary. Obama signaled he would use it against McCain in the general, unless McCain backed off of any heavy criticism -- and McCain cowered.

Since the election Team Obama have indicated many times that they will use the racism allegations against any opposition.

Some talkshow hosts have implied that Team Obama and Dems decided on that strategy after meeting with Bill Clinton and a few strategists.

[newfreep]

Cletus is far more intelligent. Seriously!

[Psalm 144]

Agreed. The cottonfields were littered with abandoned teleprompters after the Civil War.

[sniper63]

I am not racist, I dislike all pretenders and stupid people equally, it does not matter what their religious background or skin color is, nor does it matter what their nationality is, if they are hyphenated Americans they are, IMHO a stupid person because they cannot make up their mind as to where their loyalty lies.

If they cannot debate in a civilized manner or speak and write a complete thought or sentence without reverting to the use of gutter slang or cuss words (liberals are prone to this)they are to be considered a stupid person and therfore worthy of my dislike.

Sniper63

[FrankR]

All of the above.

[P-Marlowe]

America is not ready for a black president. Not until the left gets over it’s obsession with race.