Why Obama is an overrated presenter and underrated debater

Having watched his historic run for the Presidency, I came to two conclusions about Barack Obama regarding public speaking.

One, Obama’s delivery – whether standing at the lectern reading teleprompters or roaming stages at town-hall-style events – was not as great as many people breathlessly asserted.

Two, Obama’s debate performances against rival John McCain were superior.

Let start with his public speaking.

I’ve never seen Mr. Obama speak live, and I’m sure he’s electric when his voice is booming through the room and he is surrounded by the magisterial trappings of the Presidency. The problem is this: Any president reaches only a fraction of Americans during public appearances no matter how many they schedule. The rest of us are viewing on television. That means he must come off the television screen in a way that gives citizens a galvanic response.

Three years into his presidency we are seeing the big disconnect. Namely, he isn’t connecting with enough voters on an emotional level. He’s cold, many say. Too professorial. Even arrogant according to some (mainly his detractors).

Obama isn’t lighting up the house. His so-called No Drama Obama persona could benefit from a warmer approach.

All this and yet most non-partisan political pundits are indicating that Obama is likely to be re-elected, despite presiding over the worst economic times since the Great Depression. It’s hard to supplant a sitting president under any conditions, but Obama will be difficult to unseat for an additional reason. Presidential elections are largely decided by the series of debates between the candidates, and Barack Obama will likely crush anybody the GOP pits against him.

The Republican Party learned this lesson the hard way. Early in the Obama presidency, in the heat of the health-care debate, they invited the President to a House of Representatives retreat to respond to their questions (and allegations). The President accepted. Republicans were gleeful, thinking the President was nuts to stand at the podium and face off against a couple of hundred members of the opposition party.

As it turned out, Obama’s command of the issues and articulate ripostes left House members wobbling on their heels. The drubbing was so bad that some anti-Fox-News observers accused the network of discontinuing its live coverage of the showdown because the President was proving himself to be far from the incompetent Fox News had portrayed him to be.

Obama is an outstanding debater for a few reasons. He has a deep command of the issues. He’s articulate, giving clear, well organized answers to questions. He’s disciplined, never losing his cool.

It is in this format that the No Drama Obama persona serves him well.

Good public speaking requires that a person connect with his or her audience (especially when you’re asking them to entrust you with the highest office in the country). Debates are a different forum altogether, more akin to a boxing or tennis match. No one expects a boxer or tennis player to connect with their audience in the heat of the competition. They are there to see the contest, to witness the mastery of one competitor over another; though likability of individual competitors is clearly a key factor in swaying audiences in subjective competitions, such as debates.

It is anticipation of the presidential debates that have many registered republicans lining up behind Newt Gingrich in recent weeks and catapulting him to the top of national polls. They are excited about the prospect of Gingrich squaring off against the President. The former House Speaker’s command of the issues and articulateness is equal to, if not superior to, Obama’s. An Obama-Gingrich series of debates would be a veritable clash of polemic titans.

In the end, Obama would prevail for four reasons.

1. Newt Gingrich is viewed negatively by too high a percentage of Americans.
2. His debate style is caustic, to say the least, with his long history as a verbal bully. Meanness doesn’t sit well with most voters.
3. His temper is always bubbling just below the surface and is easily brought to full boil by a confrontational question or challenge.
4. He is prone to capriciously sprout ideas many regard as outlandish, (most recently saying federal judges should be subject to arrest or being hauled before Congress if they make decisions lawmakers consider outside mainstream ideals).

President Obama has taught us a couple of good lessons. Be warm toward your audience when public speaking. Stay cool and focused while debating.

 

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