Did anyone else notice the thumping every time Obama put his hand on the podium?

[Toots]

It was extremely distracting for me. Obama talks with his hands a lot and every time he put his hand back on the podium there was a loud thump. It was constant and very distracting, much worse than Gore's sighs..The mic was obviously a bit too sensitive.

[livetohike]

1. I was watching on C-SPAN and didn't notice it but

the applause seemed muted on that channel too.

[WCGreen]

2. Yea, the mic was very sensative last night...

[FSogol]

3. I think you need to check the batteries in your hearing aid.

:shrug:

[Kalyke]

4. I thought he was trying to emphasize points like a cadence.

:shrug:

[GreenEyedLefty]

5. I did not notice.

[MindPilot]

6. I noticed that too.

I also noticed that when he did that, it was during the times that he really seemed to be speaking from the heart, rather than just reading the speech.

[brentspeak]

7. Off-topic, but I wonder if any President has ever pounded the podium during a SOTU?

TR maybe?

[MindPilot]

10. Don't know for sure, but LBJ might have.

It wouldn't have been out-of-character.

[golddigger]

8. How...

arrogant of that man!

:sarcasm:

[babylonsister]

9. I thought it added emphasis, and liked it. nt

[peacetalksforall]

11. Just think of it as emphasis if it followed some very truthful statements he

addressed to the Republicans and SC.

[Ninga]

12. It is up to his staff and the audio engineers to adjust the podium mic and/or other

electronic devices to our President's style of giving a speech.

He did nothing wrong and yes I heard every thump each time he rested his hands on the podium.

Less than good sound engineering.

[lpbk2713]

13. I did.

I thought they should pad it with carpet or something for
the next time if he's going to continue to do that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. No

[Kaleva]

15. He was trying to channel Nikita Krushev

[hlthe2b]

16. After Bush*s constant thud on the podium for 8 years.....

No, I didn't notice. I wonder if it was the same on every channel... Some stations may have adjusted the audio. Seriously, I did not notice and I was listening on XM part of the time and watching/listening on tv part of the time.

[patrice]

17. Reality.

[Johnny Harpo]

18. That Can Be Avoided By....

simply putting a thin foam pad on the podium.

Stuff like that is supposed to be caught in the sound checks.

[ellenfl]

19. agreed. my dh asked what the noise was. eom

[ashling]

20. Happened last time he spoke to the assembled multitude

It has also distracted from some of his other speeches.

[dmr]

21. It was his cuff links. Should've had a piece of rubber or even fabric

or something to blunt the noise.

I heard it and kept thinking that, but his speech was so compelling, it didn't much matter.

[90-percent]

22. I did

It was distracting. He should have staff covering him in situations like this; "Uhh, Barack, stop thumping on the podium after every other sentence.. It's very distracting."

I thought it was so distracting that the thump would have been the first subject the notorious left wing media would have fixated on? And this SOTU would forever been known as the Thumping State of the Union."

I saw it on MSNBC. MAybe the sound was different on other networks?

-90% jimmy

[marmar]

23. "The mic was obviously a bit too sensitive"

The mic clearly wasn't alone in its oversensitivity.....

[turntxblue]

24. Yes

I, too, noticed and wished that the mic had not been so sensitive. It caught even the tiniest movement of his hands.