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We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate...

Politico: ?Obama struggles as communicator?

Of all the pitfalls Barack Obama might face in the presidency, here is one not many people predicted: He is struggling as a public communicator....

New York Times: ?Weekend Opinionator: Obama?s Communication Breakdown?

From giving contradictory statements on the economy to making gaffes about the Special Olympics, team Obama has lost the communications magic that propelled it to the White House....

In terms of pure miscommunication, however, no event compares to the president?s appearance with Prime Minister Brian Cowan of Ireland, during which a Teleprompter malfunction caused Cowan to repeat parts of the Obama speech and the president to thank himself for inviting everyone to the event...

Trivial stuff? Perhaps. But there are plenty of similar failures to synchronize on issues that nobody thinks are unimportant....

The Anchoress: ?Obama sans Teleprompter: not pretty?:

Sigh. One almost gets tired of saying it, but one must say it, still: Can you IMAGINE what the press and the Dems would do with that, had Bush said it. Can you IMAGINE what the press and the Dems would have done with the Irish PM Teleprompter gaffe (the press has helpfully embargoed the video, so Obama doesn?t have to see it playing 24/7, as Bush would have - had Bush so gaffed). Can you IMAGINE what the press and the Dems would have done if Bush had given the Prime Minister of Great Britain a lousy pack of 50 ?Classic? DVD?s that didn?t work in the UK?

Washington Post

Senior White House aides concede that the AIG scandal made it difficult for them to communicate their message last week....

San Francisco Chronicle

Pundits are questioning Obama's ability to communicate

Michael Wolff?s The Newser: ?Barack Obama Is a Terrible Bore?

The guy just doesn?t know what to say. He can?t connect. Emotions are here, he?s over there. He can?t get the words to match the situation.

This began, I?d argue, from the first moment. He punted on the inaugural. Everybody ran around like crazy trying to praise it because if Barack Obama couldn?t give a speech then what?

But now, at week 11, we?re face-to-face with the reality, the man can?t talk worth a damn....

You can see the fundamental mistake he?s making. Having been so successfully elected, he?s acting like people actually want to hear what he thinks. He?s the great earnest bore at the dinner party. Instead of singing for his supper, he?s just talking?and going on at length. The real job of making people part of the story you?re telling, of having them hang on your every word, of getting the tone and detail right, the hard job of holding a conversation, he ain?t doing.

He?s cold; he?s prickly; he?s uncomfortable; he?s not funny; and he?s getting awfully tedious.

He thinks it?s all about him.... This guy is leaden and this show is in trouble.

Full post as published by Discriminations on March 22, 2009 (boomark / email).