I love Obama, but will someone please tell me how we can

[yy4me]

give him a bit more oomph. Suggest a cup of coffee before the debate? Hershey bar? Jolt?
He is a great speaker in conveying his thoughts but speaks with too soft an approach and with a little too much pause between his words. I want to wind his springs just a little.

He is my choice and I cannot even imagine this country if he is not elected. Is it just me who thinks he should speed up the speech a little...and stop being quite so polite. Certainly mcsame was not polite to him.

My thought is meant to be constructive, not mean.

[liberalmuse]

1. Did you see his speech in Fredricksburg today?

He was really on fire. Unfortunately, the feed cut out halfway through because of the rain. I think he is doing great. Whenever I want to give my advice, I think, 'Slow and steady wins the race.' It seemed to have worked last night with people who don't watch almost every speech he does. We are much too hard on the guy. he did EXACTLY what he needed to do last night, and no doubt will improve further on his next debate performance.

[yy4me]

4. I missed today's speech, was in the cellar replacing the sump.

I just wanted Obama to give one of the "Give 'em Hell Harry" type speeches. I think I'm getting impatient for the end of all of this. Glad to hear he did a good job. I'll see if it is on Youtube.

[1corona4u]

2. He's fine the way he is.

He hasn't reached this point because people he needs improvement.....:eyes:

[rzemanfl]

3. He isn't trying to convince you or I. He is trying to convince

people who are so wishy washy and noncommittal that they can't decide whether they want four more years of shit sandwiches or if eight years was enough. People who worry that their dead parents will roll over in their graves if they vote for a black man. People who tend to vote for who their minister thinks they should vote for. He knows how to handle this.

[AldebTX]

5. I Saw A Great Statement on One of the Debate Discussion Threads

We all need to stop worrying about making Obama more this or more that.....

We just need to let Obama be Obama....

[Staph]

8. Let Bartlet be Bartlet....

seems to have worked pretty well!

[BlooInBloo]

6. Idiots. They can't even recognize a WINNER when he's smacking them in their face.

Sheesh.

http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/on_strategy_and_tactics.php

"Obama would have pleased his base better if he had fought back more harshly in those 90 minutes -- cutting McCain off, delivering a similarly harsh closing judgment, using comparably hostile body language, and in general acting more like a combative House of Commons debater. Those would have been effective tactics minute by minute.

But Obama either figured out, or instinctively understood, that the real battle was to make himself seem comfortable, reasonable, responsible, well-versed, and in all ways "safe" and non-outsiderish to the audience just making up its mind about him. (And yes, of course, his being a young black man challenging an older white man complicated everything he did and said, which is why his most wittily aggressive debate performance was against another black man, Alan Keyes, in his 2004 Senate race.) The evidence of the polls suggests that he achieved exactly this strategic goal. He was the more "likeable," the more knowledgeable, the more temperate, etc. (Update: though from here on out he doesn't have to say "John is right..." anywhere near as often as he did last night.) .

For years and years, Democrats have wondered how their candidates could "win" the debates on logical points -- that is, tactics -- but lose the larger struggle because these seemed too aggressive, supercilious, cold-blooded, or whatever. To put it in tactical/strategic terms, Democrats have gotten used to winning battles and losing wars. Last night, the Democratic candidate showed a far keener grasp of this distinction than did the Republican who accused him of not understanding it."

[qanda]

15. Excellent post!

I hope everyone will read it.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. BRING BACK THAT &%$#@ RATINGS SYSTEM I HATED SO MUCH!@#$%!

[LynneSin]

9. Foreign Policy is not his strong point - he'll do better in the others

the fact that he held his ground was damn good!

[elkston]

10. Ironically, I think he IS strong in it. People just perceive it not to be so. (eom)

[yy4me]

11. I stand corrected and am humbled by your comments. Count me

as one very frustrated voter who wants this thing over, Obama in office and one ms palin back in moose country, and one old angry man tucked away in one of his, "how many houses"?

Did not mean to demean Obama or anyone else with my comment. At this point, I think I'm just in overdrive.

[rucky]

23. We're all eager to "close the deal"

But we're seeing a steady climb for Obama and McCain unraveling. Let's enjoy the show.

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. zzzz

[DCBob]

13. Obama is fine. McCain is the candidate who needs to change.

Stop worrying. The Obama campaign knows exactly what they are doing.

[sufrommich]

14. Perhaps now that we are in the worst economic crisis

since the depression,most Americans will realize that voting for the guy they would rather have a beer with didn't work out too well. Time to elect the smart guy and let Obama be Obama(it seems to be working quite well for him).

[Jennicut]

16. I don't get people wanting him to be more angry. He is supposed to be the calm one.

McTroll has an anger problem so I am sure Obama is trying to remain as cool calm and collected as possible in the debates. Let McTroll get volatile. Obama must be seen as presidential and he was in this last debate.

[crispini]

19. It's because WE'RE angry

and we want someone to tell us to go to the window and yell, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Obama isn't going to do THAT, heh.

[blondeatlast]

17. Debates serve an entirely different role than speeches. Debates

are to convince undecided voters--and Obama came off as knowledgeable, respectful, capable, and confident. That's what those voters want to know.

That's all he needed to do and he did that and then some.

[stillcool]

18. Why do so many people..

want Obama to get in the gutter and throw around McCain's muck? Is it because this is what is expected? Sort of like the car chase in an action movie.

[OneGrassRoot]

20. Personal anecdote...

It's funny how some dems feel he's too passive, not passionate enough in debates and media interactions.

After the debate Friday night (in which I thought he was VERY strong...not backing down and not letting McCain get away with any lies/mischaracterizations), several Republican family members said they were pleasantly surprised how STRONG Obama was. That he "wasn't going to take any crap."

My SO (lifelong repug...not so much now) said he's no longer afraid of an Obama Presidency after watching the debate.

Obama was strong, confident, a leader, not snidely attacking. He went on the offense when necessary, defended appropriately and firmly.

[seabeyond]

21. except it is the very essence you criticize that had the american people overwhelmingly voting

he won and mccain loss. so i would suggest he keep being exactly who he is

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

22. I think he is who is. Trying to make him into something he isn't ain't a good idea.

No Drama Obama is doing just fine in my book.

[LatteLibertine]

24. I like the fact

that Senator Obama is reasonable, measured and intelligent. He need not sink to McCain's level. Trust me when I say this is not lost on some people. He accurately illustrates that he understands the difference between a strong confident man and an arrogant jerk. Too many often confuse the two. One is truly confident and strong, the other is pretending. He is appropriately presidential.

If you want to see Senator Obama on point, try the CBC speech-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x200486

It's wonderful. :)

[secondwind]

25. Suggestion: whenever you begin to think like this again, imagine

George W. Bush, who has made so many gaffes, WE ARE ON VOLUME FIVE.

[deadparrot]

26. What you want to see and what undecideds/independents want to see

are not necessarily the same. Obama wasn't in the debate to win over our votes--he's already got them.