August 28, 2008 12:12 PM
Will Obama soar or be swallowed by the venue?
Barack Obama moves his acceptance speech from the relatively cozy confines of the Pepsi Center to the cavernous Invesco Field at Mile High.
M.E. Sprengelmeyer writes the move is a risky proposition for the nominee.
In essence, it says he won't be boxed in by his party's established traditions. It suggests he's trying to reach people who've been on the outside looking in.But raising the roof also raises expectations, and the stage is set for a bigger triumph or a bigger flop, rhetoric experts say.
In politics "there's this thing called 'expectancy violation theory,' " said Jennifer Mercieca, an assistant professor who researches rhetorical and political theory at Texas A&M University.
Set expectations high, and a candidate had better deliver, Mercieca said.
"If they aren't blown away by his oratorical skills," she concludes, "they could be disappointed."
When he steps to the microphone tonight, Obama is inviting the belittling "rock star" or "celebrity" comparisons from Republican rival Sen. John McCain.
But with risk comes the possibility of huge rewards: Obama has the opportunity to create direct comparisons - for better or worse - to two of the more revered Americans of the past half-century: former President Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After all, Kennedy accepted his nomination at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and King delivered his famed "I Have a Dream" speech exactly 45 years ago today in front of a sea of people in Washington.
Those are tough acts to follow, but Mercieca thinks the stadium-size "show of force" also could help beat the public's expectations for what most modern political conventions have become: heavily scripted events designed to manufacture images of people-powered movements.
"We live in a hyper-mediated age," she said. "We're so used to pseudo events and fake news and manufactured 'reality' TV. We're a much more skeptical population than we were before. . . . You can't fool the eye with 75,000 people."
How do you expect Obama to do tonight? Will his oratorical gifts rise to fill the stadium or will he seem diminished by the size of the venue and the crowed?
August 28, 2008
1:11 PM
Shaggy writes:
This is what I will be wearing tonight at his speech.
http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/17883.jpg
August 28, 2008
1:16 PM
40acresandmymuleandNAMvetbennies writes:
What bothers me, is he won't say (TRUTH) that needs to be said. We need to defelonize the White House and SCOTUS. We are a nation of barbarians, Christian-goons, and war criminals. The American people have been duped (Iraq-NAM), just like Hitler duped the German people, leading them into WWII.
During the GOP woofing leading up to Iraq-NAM, I blew it off, thinking Americans wouldn't let a corps of GOP NAM draft-dodgers, get us into a useless and senseless war. Silly me! And I apologize to those families whose kids were injured or killed in Iraq-NAM.
Breathtaking, was that several members of the Congressional Black Caucus-CBC-comical blacks in congress, voted in favor of Iraq-NAM. These UT's forgot that in Vietnam, 55% of the soldier-draftees killed, were Black, while we only comprised 12% of the nation's population. Classic Hitler-style CULLING.
In 2009, I pray we will prosecute for war-crimes, and "HANG" GWB, Cheney, Powell, Rice, Lott, Delay, and Hastert, in a manner that was done to Hitler's posse. They deserve the same desserts they gave to Saddam. The Brits should take care of Blair in much the same manner. We shouldn't leave our dirty work to an international court of law.
August 28, 2008
1:19 PM
Anonymous writes:
What bothers me, is he won't say (TRUTH) that needs to be said. We need to defelonize the White House and SCOTUS. We are a nation of barbarians, Christian-goons, and war criminals. The American people have been duped (Iraq-NAM), just like Hitler duped the German people, leading them into WWII.
During the GOP woofing leading up to Iraq-NAM, I blew it off, thinking Americans wouldn't let a corps of GOP NAM draft-dodgers, get us into a useless and senseless war. Silly me! And I apologize to those families whose kids were injured or killed in Iraq-NAM.
Breathtaking, was that several members of the Congressional Black Caucus-CBC-comical blacks in congress, voted in favor of Iraq-NAM. These UT's forgot that in Vietnam, 55% of the soldier-draftees killed, were Black, while we only comprised 12% of the nation's population. Classic Hitler-style CULLING.
In 2009, I pray we will prosecute for war-crimes, and "HANG" GWB, Cheney, Powell, Rice, Lott, Delay, and Hastert, in a manner that was done to Hitler's posse. They deserve the same desserts they gave to Saddam. The Brits should take care of Blair in much the same manner. We shouldn't leave our dirty work to an international court of law.
August 28, 2008
1:44 PM
JMH writes:
Ooooo... big surprise. Shaggy with nothing but hate to spew... Of course nothing good to say about McSame. Even he knows McCain is more of the same failures and corruption! Though he will never admit it...
August 28, 2008
4:19 PM
Matt writes:
No, the venue won't do it but what will is his lack of judgment for befriending the domestic terrorist Bill Ayres who as recently as 2001 was only sorry for not setting off more bombs than he did. Others will be put off by the way the Obama campaign calls on the Justice Department to prosecute its critics, for merely criticizing him about it.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Obama_camp_Prosecute_Simmons.html
August 28, 2008
4:49 PM
Tbone writes:
Lets see, how many crimes has Ayers been convicted of?
Compared to Cindy WcSame's father, who has been convicted of 4 felonies.
Them's some family values right there, yessirre.
August 28, 2008
4:55 PM
KW writes:
Where in the world did the Obama people come up with this idea for a Greek style setting with this off the wall stage set up? Are Zeus and Athena scheduled for an appearance?
Politico's Ben Smith offers a theory:
So it's "strickingly similar" to Bush's idea? Golly people... Can we really afford four more years of the same?
August 28, 2008
5:35 PM
KW writes:
Tbone - Would that be Hensley's one felony conviction for "bootlegging" during prohibition?
He was charged with illegal transferring of liquor after prohibition but that was tossed. The 11 remaining charges against he and Marley's liquor companies were also later tossed as it was discovered no wrong doing had actually taken place. Those charges were all in relation to county taxes paid on sales.
There were other allegations relating to his felony conviction, saying he could not hold a liquor distributorship license, but since the laws regarding alcohol licensing came post prohibition, it was determined they couldn't be applied to retroactively to Hensley.
I'd be interested to know where you heard your version from. Being an AZ native, studying AZ history in school AND having several attorney's in the family, this conversation is not one I would be considered new to. Hensley is a very large part of AZ history.
If you give me your link I'll try and compare it to the actual court records and see. Might prove interesting.
August 28, 2008
6:28 PM
Matt writes:
Juan McCain's political career wasn't launched out of Cindy's dad's home. Juan McCain and Cindy's dad don't have a working relationship like Barak and his friend, the proud domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers do. Is Juan's wife's dad proud of his felonies and does he wish he had done more of them? None of Juan's direct friends has set off multiple bombs in the vicinity of innocent people, with the intent to kill them. Bill Ayres is sill PROUD of doing that after having 30 years to think about it. Is getting away with it because the FBI screwed up the investigation make it ok? Has Juan McCain ever written or authorized an official letter to the Justice Department asking that his critics be prosecuted for shining light on his past? If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. You guys should have gone with Hillary. B.O. has bigger problems than what people might think of where he gives his speech.
August 28, 2008
10:48 PM
Tbone writes:
Actually, Matt, WcSame's career WAS launched out of Cindy's dad's home. No, we should not have gone with hillary.
Holy shit, Cindy McSame's father has a felony conviction, AND was convicted of 7 counts of falsifying charges? Not to mention, he has mob ties- possibly even to Al Capone?.
Damn.
Could you imagine if this was Obama's family? The shitstorm wouldn't end.
http://www.houstonpress.com/2000-03-02/news/this-bud-s-for-john/print
Them's some family values for ya!
August 29, 2008
8:21 AM
KW writes:
Your source wasn't too far off actual history there Tbone. Just a bit misleading. The writers of this article actually worked for a seedy local paper here known as the Phoenix NewTimes and this was a smear attempt by them while McCain was running for pres back in 2000.
They label him a felon (for bootlegging during prohibition) early on and then elude that the other seven charges were felonious as well. The truth is the other seven charges, for filing false information, were all misdemeanors.
As for the ties to the mob??? You're really reaching there little buddy. Was that a dream?
One thing you may want to remember when citing future articles, op-ed's are not normally credible sources for facts, especially when they base the entire piece on allegations from yet another op-ed piece written sometime in the past (The Phx Gazette went out of production decades ago).
August 29, 2008
9:51 AM
Tbone writes:
KW-
Interesting. I've got more links, as well. It was late last nite, and I didnt feel like reading any more.
As far as the mob ties - their partner - Teak Baldwin - was convicted, I believe, of bookkeeping or racketeering. He was "a notorious Pheonix bookie".
And, Baldwin's associate, Hensley's boss, Kemper Marley, fianced "Phoenix gambling operations and that Marley owned a wire service formerly operated in connection with bookmaking of the Al Capone gang."
So you've known this stuff this whole time, and didn't tell me, KW? C'mon!
August 29, 2008
12:55 PM
Hogar De Vuelta (العودة) Sarah Palin the first woman VP writes:
Sara Palin just focused the sun's rays on Icarus Obama, and he was last seen plunging into the Gulf.