Obama Rhetoric

Humble or Bumble? Obama's New Diplomacy

Rick Horowitz | Posted 05.14.2009 | World


Rick Horowitz

Next thing you know, Obama will be apologizing for us speaking English. Bad enough he keeps sticking foreign words into his foreign speeches just to show them he "gets it" or something.

Obama's Rhetorical Inspirations: Presidents, Poets, and Hobbits

Aaron Zelinsky | Posted 03.27.2009 | Politics


Aaron Zelinsky

Here are the ten sources behind the most memorable lines of Obama's address.

A Promissory Note For the American Promise

Kit Gallant | Posted 02.19.2009 | Politics


Kit Gallant

King argued that it was the distorted state of the most fundamental conception of American political and social economy that was, in and of itself, responsible for social and economic injustice.

A New Beginning and the Wisdom of the Past: Why the Greek Classics are Still Relevant

Amb. Alexandros P. Mallias | Posted 12.15.2008 | Politics


Amb. Alexandros P. Mallias

The Greek classics are no longer simply food for ivory tower intellectuals, but are entering the mainstream of society and politics, as food for thought, as the tools for living "an examined life."

Why Smart Talkers Lose Debates and How Obama Can Beat McCain Anyway

Joseph Romm | Posted 10.24.2008 | Politics


Joseph Romm

Debates are won by the candidate who presents the most compelling and persuasive character. If I can convince you I'm an honest, straight talker, you'll believe what else I say. If I can't, you won't.

Obama's Self-Defeating Rhetoric

Joseph Romm | Posted 09.07.2008 | Politics


Joseph Romm

You can't debunk a myth by verbally repeating it. This is actually very basic stuff, so it is surprising that neither Obama nor his team understand it.

Barack Obama: "You" Versus "I"

Jerry Weissman | Posted 08.12.2008 | Politics


Jerry Weissman

Everyone now is focused sharply on Obama's rhetoric, specifically having to do with verbal focus: Self- or other-directed, exclusive or inclusive, "I" or "you"?

Obama in Berlin: Walking the Walk

Stefan Sirucek | Posted 08.03.2008 | Politics


Stefan Sirucek

The speech is a brisk, affecting affair. There are big cheers when Obama talks about nuclear disarmament and dealing with climate change, but the crowd's response to "defeating terror" is noticeably muted.

Obama Should Re-Think His Faith-Based Agenda

William Fisher | Posted 08.03.2008 | Politics


William Fisher

There's one wall that Barack wants to pull down that I think needs to be affirmatively left in place, or, to be more precise, reconstructed: the one between church and state.

Echoing Hillary in Blasting Barack

Carol Felsenthal | Posted 08.02.2008 | Politics


Carol Felsenthal

Is the McCain campaign borrowing from Hillary Clinton? Consider the similarity between her remark from last March and a McCain spokesman's response to Obama's speech in Berlin.

What Will Barack Obama Say in Berlin?

Jerry Weissman | Posted 07.30.2008 | Politics


Jerry Weissman

The association of Obama with Kennedy was due, in large part, to their shared oratorical talents. This week's Berlin speech makes that association even more pertinent.

Obama's Mile High Moment

Joe Cutbirth | Posted 07.16.2008 | Politics


Joe Cutbirth

We're seven weeks from the biggest speech in a generation by any figure in American politics. If you can be there in person, go. Take your children. It's an event you'll remember the rest of your lives.

Just Words? Obama Speeches "Discuss Policy As Much As Opponents"

Chicago Tribune | Christi Parsons and John McCormick | Posted 03.28.2008 | Politics


As Barack Obama's town hall meeting stretched into its second hour, it was clear the candidate wasn't anywhere close to finishing. Obama had given an...

White Voters Deserve More Credit

Peter Dreier | Posted 03.28.2008 | Home


Peter Dreier

The Clinton campaign message was transparent: they are trying to pigeonhole Obama as the "black" candidate -- not simply as a matter of pigmentation but as a matter of voter appeal.