How quickly they pretend to forget. Or how frequently they lie. President George Bush, who didn't like teleprompters, was mocked and called synonyms for intellectually unfit by the media and on late night TV for having used one to give a major speech as president once. Of course, he was ALSO mocked when he used written notes while addressing the nation.
TOTUS is not any sort of symbol for the presidency; it's the symbol of Barack Hussein Obama.
“So why, on the campaign trail, has the teleprompter instead become a symbol of ineptitude, mocked repeatedly by Republican candidates?”
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Because without his teleprompter—Obama is inept.
The teleprompter isn’t inept, the clown that uses it is.