Writing in the New York Times after Obama’s most recent major speech on jobs, David Brooks writes, “Thursday night the president gave one of the most forceful and compelling domestic policy speeches of his presidency.” Then, after summarizing the proposals, he adds that, in short, “the administration is putting forth a package to prevent a double-dip recession that may not come to pass with a series of measures that may not work.”
I guess “compelling” isn’t what it used to be.
And then there’s the always interesting, and sometimes right, Mickey Kaus, who writes that the speech was
More effective than expected….
a) His speaking style has deteriorated since taking office. He’s phonier than in 2008, reading with forced emphasis. At times he achieved the rare, magical combination of seeming desperate and condescending at the same time….
Is Obama really “phonier than he was in 2008,” or are moderates and sensible Democrats like Kaus only now beginning to see what conservatives saw all along?
Total nonsense…