In terms of oratory, how would you rank these U.S. Presidents?

[Heilige]

In terms of oratory and giving great speeches how would you rank these following individuals from best to worst?

Also, what do you consider the best speech of each of these individuals?


Abraham Lincoln

Franklin D. Roosevelt

John F. Kennedy

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

Barack Obama

[Kblaze8855]

There are too many writers these days for me to even judge people by speeches. You can judge delivery....concepts...how they make you feel. But the content is so carefully put together by entire teams....eh.

Easier to judge politicians from interviews and how they interract when they have to think fast and respond on subjects they couldnt have answers prepared for. And the older guys...you have less of that to judge.

One guy often made into a villian who when you hear him have a conversation comes off as fiercly intelligent and more or less....reasonable? Nixon.

Nixon seemed downright competent and rational compared to many modern politicians.

Reagan and Obama are the best in my memory far as seeming kinda...cool...comfortable. They have the best delivery. Clinton a notch behind them but maybe seeing a little more informed than either at times.

Total package...those 3 are pretty close.

Bush 1 seemed competent and intelligent but without charisma. Bush 2 was....just not built for the job public speaking wise. Maybe he was great in person...cant say of course.

[Nick Young]

Obama #1 for me, I have never heard the speeches of the others except Reagan and Clinton, they were ok but not at Obama's level. I believe Obama is an all time great level orator.


I have never heard Lincoln speak.


FDR was a racist who unlawfully imprisoned American citizens in concentration camps without trial and forced them to work in sweat shops. He is not a great orator, and he is a horrible human being.

[Heilige]

There are too many writers these days for me to even judge people by speeches. You can judge delivery....concepts...how they make you feel. But the content is so carefully put together by entire teams....eh.

Easier to judge politicians from interviews and how they interract when they have to think fast and respond on subjects they couldnt have answers prepared for. And the older guys...you have less of that to judge.

One guy often made into a villian who when you hear him have a conversation comes off as fiercly intelligent and more or less....reasonable? Nixon.

Nixon seemed downright competent and rational compared to many modern politicians.

Reagan and Obama are the best in my memory far as seeming kinda...cool...comfortable. They have the best delivery. Clinton a notch behind them but maybe seeing a little more informed than either at times.

Total package...those 3 are pretty close.

Bush 1 seemed competent and intelligent but without charisma. Bush 2 was....just not built for the job public speaking wise. Maybe he was great in person...cant say of course.


What about John F. Kennedy?

[Patrick Chewing]

Reagan's speeches are pretty epic all things considered. I have him ahead of Obama.

[FatComputerNerd]

Obama #1 for me, I have never heard the speeches of the others except Reagan and Clinton, they were ok but not at Obama's level. I believe Obama is an all time great level orator.


I have never heard Lincoln speak.


FDR was a racist who unlawfully imprisoned American citizens in concentration camps without trial and forced them to work in sweat shops. He is not a great orator, and he is a horrible human being.

Shame more people don't realize the truth about FDR. Wasn't he also the one who refused entry to the refugees on the Spirit of St. Louis?

Meanwhile, he is considered by most to be one of the best presidents of all time. :facepalm

[NumberSix]

Besides Trump, nobody other than RR running for office would have the balls to say something like "the strategy is... We win, they lose" or plainly call a foreign enemy "evil empire" or call an opposing ideology "the focus of evil in the world today". I mean you can't even imagine Obama having the balls to call islamism "the focus of evil in the world today". He won't even talk about it at all.

[dude77]

obama needs a teleprompter .. he loses big points for that .. with a teleprompter he sounds good but without it, he's fkn lost .. sounds worse than a hs kid trying to give a speech

[bladefd]

obama needs a teleprompter .. he loses big points for that .. with a teleprompter he sounds good but without it, he's fkn lost .. sounds worse than a hs kid trying to give a speech

Clearly you haven't heard him answer questions on the fly without preparation. He speaks eloquently and his presentation is well articulated.

Teleprompter nonsense argument is overplayed. Imagine trying to memorize a 25-30 minute speech.. the time could be spent elsewhere and just read off the teleprompter.

[rufuspaul]

Clearly you haven't heard him answer questions on the fly without preparation. He speaks eloquently and his presentation is well articulated.



No he doesn't. He hems and haws, pauses with "uh....." for long stretches. When he does finally complete a sentence it comes out in short bursts. Worse than George W imo.

As far as oratory goes: Reagan>Clinton>Kennedy>Roosevelt>Obama

[dude77]

Clearly you haven't heard him answer questions on the fly without preparation. He speaks eloquently and his presentation is well articulated.

Teleprompter nonsense argument is overplayed. Imagine trying to memorize a 25-30 minute speech.. the time could be spent elsewhere and just read off the teleprompter.

get his balls out of your mouth .. I'm sure he's had his decent moments answering questions .. but it's a different story if he has to give an extended on the fly speech or answer .. I've heard him speak enough times sans the teleprompter .. he's lost without it .. becomes a stuttering fool .. he becomes an amateur .. it's a stark contrast

[FillJackson]

get his balls out of your mouth .. I'm sure he's had his decent moments answering questions .. but it's a different story if he has to give an extended on the fly speech or answer .. I've heard him speak enough times sans the teleprompter .. he's lost without it .. becomes a stuttering fool .. he becomes an amateur .. it's a stark contrast
I remember after his first year, the Republicans invited Obama to their retreat as an opportunity to ask him questions. One after another Republicans lined up to try and ask him the toughest questions they could.

Here's the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5vOMIN673A

They never invited him again.


President Obama traveled to a House Republican retreat in Baltimore on Friday and delivered a performance that was at once defiant, substantive and engaging. For roughly an hour and a half, Obama lectured GOP leaders and, in a protracted, nationally-televised question-and-answer session, deflected their policy critiques, corrected their misstatements and scolded them for playing petty politics. (Full video and transcript available HERE.)

White House officials told the Huffington Post they were absolutely ecstatic. MSNBC's Luke Russert, who was on the scene in Baltimore, relayed that a Republican official and other GOP aides had confided to him that allowing the "cameras to roll like that" was a "mistake."

So effective was the president that Fox News cut away from the broadcast 20 minutes before it ended.

[Dresta]

I remember after his first year, the Republicans invited Obama to their retreat as an opportunity to ask him questions. One after another Republicans lined up to try and ask him the toughest questions they could.

Here's the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5vOMIN673A

They never invited him again.
"Uhm, arr, uhm arr, folks losing jobs, uhm arr, and stuff, uhm, partisanship, folks gotta burn coal more clean, uhm ah, look, ah, the truth of the matter is, uhm ahh, the fact is, now, there's no doubt, uhm ahh, i had to make, like, emergency decisions, and stuff, err, regulation, ya know, uhm"

Dat eloquence :applause:

Seriously though, what is with all those mid-sentence pauses? Guy has no fluency whatsoever.

Lincoln wipes the floor with the rest of them in terms of eloquence and verbal dexterity. The truth is though, that the best American orators haven't been Presidents (John Randolph, Clay, Calhoun, Webster).

[DonDadda59]

Besides Trump, nobody other than RR running for office would have the balls to say something like "the strategy is... We win, they lose" or plainly call a foreign enemy "evil empire" or call an opposing ideology "the focus of evil in the world today". I mean you can't even imagine Obama having the balls to call islamism "the focus of evil in the world today". He won't even talk about it at all.

Dubya trademarked the 'Axis of Evil' and 'Freedom Fries' :oldlol:

The BBC did a documentary about The Lost Art of Oratory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbd4KSSQov4) back when Obama was first campaigning in '08. Good watch.

[Blue&Orange]

http://www.cavemancircus.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2016/march/funny_pictures_of_the_day/3_2/funny_pictures_of_the_day_11.jpg

:applause:

[bladefd]

"Uhm, arr, uhm arr, folks losing jobs, uhm arr, and stuff, uhm, partisanship, folks gotta burn coal more clean, uhm ah, look, ah, the truth of the matter is, uhm ahh, the fact is, now, there's no doubt, uhm ahh, i had to make, like, emergency decisions, and stuff, err, regulation, ya know, uhm"

Dat eloquence :applause:

Seriously though, what is with all those mid-sentence pauses? Guy has no fluency whatsoever.

Lincoln wipes the floor with the rest of them in terms of eloquence and verbal dexterity. The truth is though, that the best American orators haven't been Presidents (John Randolph, Clay, Calhoun, Webster).

How many times have you heard Lincoln speak? How old are you? Maybe you heard Lincoln speak live? 160 year old Dresta? Or maybe you built a time machine? How many times have you heard those other folks you listed? You don't have any idea how they sounded or whether they paused while speaking. You are just hating, huh? :facepalm

[Dresta]

How many times have you heard Lincoln speak? How old are you? Maybe you heard Lincoln speak live? 160 year old Dresta? Or maybe you built a time machine? How many times have you heard those other folks you listed? You don't have any idea how they sounded or whether they paused while speaking. You are just hating, huh? :facepalm
What kind of moronic comment is that? Of course i haven't heard him speak you dim-witted dipshit. But there are recorded transcripts of his debates and speeches (and theirs), as well as many detailed first-hand recorded opinions of the people who heard them. All it takes is a bit of imagination, which is something you evidently don't have. Some guys, you know, they really stand out; one marvels at their eloquence and ability to speak extemporaneously; some of their performances seem almost inhuman. You expect me to prefer that dithering rubbish just because I had to listen to it? Please.

And of course they paused, but their delivery, as well as their rhetorical flow, is a large part of what made them great. This is like saying you can't know anything about history because you weren't there in person. None of the accounts had them uhming and awwing every couple of words; and regardless, a direct comparison of the language used, the verbal dexterity, the use of imagery and metaphor, and many other things, make Obama not even remotely comparable to them. Honestly, it's idiotic to even make the supposition that they are comparable. "those other folks" :facepalm --they were paragons of US Congressional history, and you don't even seem to know who they are. You seriously need to read some history.

Do you really think that Obama video is an example of good oratory? Are you serious? There are journalists who speak 10x better than that. I mean, does your God Obama have to be good at everything? Is it somehow wrong to point out the obvious flaws in his delivery, and the simplistic banality of his language?

F*ck me you're a whiny ass hero-worshipping little bitch.

[rufuspaul]

http://www.cavemancircus.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2016/march/funny_pictures_of_the_day/3_2/funny_pictures_of_the_day_11.jpg

:applause:

:rolleyes:


[Quote=PresidentBarry]

"I've now been in 57 states

[bladefd]

What kind of moronic comment is that? Of course i haven't heard him speak you dim-witted dipshit. But there are recorded transcripts of his debates and speeches (and theirs), as well as many detailed first-hand recorded opinions of the people who heard them. All it takes is a bit of imagination, which is something you evidently don't have. Some guys, you know, they really stand out; one marvels at their eloquence and ability to speak extemporaneously; some of their performances seem almost inhuman. You expect me to prefer that dithering rubbish just because I had to listen to it? Please.

And of course they paused, but their delivery, as well as their rhetorical flow, is a large part of what made them great. This is like saying you can't know anything about history because you weren't there in person. None of the accounts had them uhming and awwing every couple of words; and regardless, a direct comparison of the language used, the verbal dexterity, the use of imagery and metaphor, and many other things, make Obama not even remotely comparable to them. Honestly, it's idiotic to even make the supposition that they are comparable. "those other folks" :facepalm --they were paragons of US Congressional history, and you don't even seem to know who they are. You seriously need to read some history.

Do you really think that Obama video is an example of good oratory? Are you serious? There are journalists who speak 10x better than that. I mean, does your God Obama have to be good at everything? Is it somehow wrong to point out the obvious flaws in his delivery, and the simplistic banality of his language?

F*ck me you're a whiny ass hero-worshipping little bitch.

Recorded transcripts? Find me a transcript that shows where Obama pauses between sentences in speeches. You won't because nobody notes it down. We don't know how often Abe Lincoln paused between sentences or how long the pauses were because no transcript shows it. There are no voice recordings of Abe to check because phonograph came out 12 years after he died.

Writings say Abe had a shrill voice with a southern twang. I see no mention of how often he paused. It's absurd to even mention that Obama pauses much more compared to Lincoln because we don't know. Other than haters like yourself, nobody else even mentions the pauses.

Yes, Obama is a good orator. There are clearly others much better than him in the media & past presidents too. I don't dispute the latter. We are discussing you disputing the former - you don't think Obama is a decent orator because he pauses too much between sentences.

Do you know anything other than criticism? You are very much cynical. You have nothing positive to say. 99% of your posts are nothing but hate and calling people out. "wawa liberals wawa obama wawa democrats wawa this wawa that" Bring out the whaaaaambulance for Dresta.

[Dresta]

Why do you keep talking about pauses? Why can't you get through to your head that pausing for effect is not the same as "uhming" and "awwing" every couple of words? Sorry for thinking stuttering and stammering doesn't make for good oratory :rolleyes:. I'll stop being such a "hater" and just mindlessly agree with you in the future. Lincoln, although he was crude and unrefined in lots of ways, could keep an audience spellbound, whether it be during a speech, or simply telling one of his humorous stories (which compare very favourably to Obama's trite ones); his sentences were pregnant with meaning, so much so that many have passed into the common parlance; he was schooled in Biblical declamation, and had a powerful delivery because of it. Stop trying to pretend Obama stacks up to this, because he doesn't; he doesn't even stack up to Reagan, or Kennedy. He is simplistic and trite, and his delivery is so poor that i'd be embarrassed if something like that came out of my own mouth.

And yes, people who stuttered and stammered, who had poor delivery, were noted for doing so. Thomas Jefferson, for example, was a very poor public speaker, so was Madison. We know this: it's a matter of historical record. Oratory was held in much higher esteem in those days; it was something people took note of, and it was something you needed to excel at to succeed in the Congress.

[bladefd]

Fair enough.

I still think Obama is a decent orator - not as good as Reagan/JFK but very few are on that level. It's like comparing Kobe to Jordan/Magic. Obviously Kobe isn't up there on their level, but he was still a decent player.

[Dresta]

He's definitely better than Dubya lol ^^^^

He also has the advantage of having a good voice, i can see that for sure. That really helps how he's perceived, and probably masks some of his weaknesses (content, delivery). I don't think many would think him a good orator if not for his having such a great speaking voice, though of course voice is an aspect of oratorical talent.

[Heilige]

He's definitely better than Dubya lol ^^^^

He also has the advantage of having a good voice, i can see that for sure. That really helps how he's perceived, and probably masks some of his weaknesses (content, delivery). I don't think many would think him a good orator if not for his having such a great speaking voice, though of course voice is an aspect of oratorical talent.



Who do you think is a better orator between Kennedy and Reagan?