Early reaction to Obama’s Berlin speech
The full text of the speech - “A World That Stands As One” - can be found here. Video is here.
Personally, I think Obama has done better, both rhetorically and delivery-wise — this wasn’t his best effort. But it’s very possible that the huge hype that has been building over this speech for the past two weeks (and the fact that it was inevitably going to be compared to the legendary speeches given by JFK and Reagan at the opposite end of the same plaza) make it understandable that Obama didn’t quite live up to what might have been unrealistically high expectations.
A roundup of initial reaction to Obama’s speech:
- Politico story: “Obama promises to ‘remake the world.’
“…His 27-minute speech at the gold-topped Victory Column was interrupted by applause at least 30 times, with occasional audience chants of “O-ba-MA!”
Billed as a speech about Transatlantic relations, it turned out to be a manifesto for the planet, with an appeal to “the burdens of global citizenship.”
Local authorities said the crowd was more than 200,000 — triple Obama’s previous record of 70,000 in Portland, Ore.
- TNR’s Noam Scheiber: “Rhetorically, I thought it was one of the better speeches of the campaign–the exact right combination of love for America and plea for international cooperation.
[...]My only concern was the atmospherics. Every pundit I’ve heard opine on this has held up the imagery as the most valuable take-away for Obama today. I’m not so sure. In addition to looking a little too much like a mega-campaign rally for some voters’ taste….I worry that the combination of the visual and some of the rhetoric–”Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen–a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world”–was a little too post-nationalist for the typical American swing-voter.”
- Daily Kos comments section:
“You could not watch this speech and not be moved.”
“…today JFK would be very proud of Barack Obama. What a fabulous speech!”
Kathleen Parker: “Obama’s speech struck me as so riddled with clichés that even he was bored. It seemed like his speechwriters went through a bunch of old speeches, pulled favorite phrases and strung them together between a few poll-approved Big Ideas. I had the weary feeling I’d been there and heard that. And Obama seemed to feel it, too.”
Amy Holmes: “Unlike JFK, Clinton, or Reagan, Obama’s purpose in Berlin was essentially self-serving. The great cause at stake was his own campaign — not the threat of Communism, or adapting to a post-Communist world. The great purpose to which Obama was asking his Berlin audience to rally was his own presidential aspirations. Pretty thin, not the stuff of history books. And so far the American public agrees. All of the hoopla leading up to this moment has been in the press — not in the polling. Obama has yet to see a Berlin bounce. Maybe the visuals will help. The text was forgettable.”
- Huffington Post’s Frank Schaeffer: “We are watching history unfold. This life-long Republican white man is moved, humbled and changed. Tens of thousands of people who have been highly critical of our country gather to hear an American political figure. They are not burning our flag. Instead they wait, as we do, for the new day. God bless you Senator Obama. Thank you.”
- Ann Althouse: “I’ll summarize: Come on, people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another, right now.”
- Sister Toldjah: “I feel like I just ate a York Peppermint patty.”
- WashPo’s Chris Cillizza: “The speech had clear — and intentional — echoes of what, in our mind, is the strongest element of Obama’s message: the time for change is now. “People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment,” Obama declared…Obama’s candidacy is fueled by the idea — unspoken but very real — that a man and a moment have met, and the result could be the fundamental alteration of not just American politics but the way in which countries see their role in the global community. “We cannot afford to be divided,” Obama warned.”
- McCain campaign: “While Barack Obama took a premature victory lap today in the heart of Berlin, proclaiming himself a “citizen of the world,” John McCain continued to make his case to the American citizens who will decide this election. Barack Obama offered eloquent praise for this country, but the contrast is clear. John McCain has dedicated his life to serving, improving and protecting America. Barack Obama spent an afternoon talking about it.”
Nader received nearly 8 million votes…You might as well have voted for dyslexic George in 2000 and 2004. You gave us Bush through the back door. Good heads-up thinking there pal.
Ugh, jeez, don’t start with that “Bwaaaah, Nader made Gore lose” bullshit. Gore won. He had more votes than Bush when the Supreme Court ordered them to stop counting. If you whiners had made such a fuss to the people who ACTUALLY stole that election, you might have a different president now. And, put this in your pipe and smoke it: If Gore had paid more attention to the issues that mattered to people who voted for Nader (myself included), he MIGHT have won them over, and then had an undeniable victory before the Bushies could foul the system up.
Nice try.
Whiners, heh… Starting to practicing the Phil Gramm style? Good move. What next, maybe a vote for Bob Barr? Gore should have made an issue of the stolen election, but just maybe, he saw a need to move on for the sake of national unity…Na, that’s too much of a “good cause” for most people to understand… including people who shouldn’t vote.
You mean people like you? Jeez dude, your post is so full of contradictions I can barely comprehend it. You say Gore should have contested the election. Then you go on and imply that he did not for the “Unity” of his country? All in the name of a “good cause”? What would that be? Landing your hated Bush on our lap? Using your own argument, you should be blaming your own man Gore for our getting Bush.
Oh, and classy move suggesting I shouldn’t vote because I disagree with you on some political issues. I can see now why you like Groupthink Obama.
If Gore and the rest of us had known that Bush was going to be such a corporate miltary/oil lap dog, we would have given a better fight and contested the election to justice…Especially the 8,000+ parents of dead soldiers, and the 200,000+ wounderd who have returned home to reduced veterans benefits….Nice vote for Nader. How do you live with yourself?