Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Obama stirs controversy -

Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy - Stunning Break with Last Eight Years
by Andy Borowitz

In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS' "Sixty Minutes" on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tic, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.

According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota , some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."


The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate - we get it, stop showing off."

The President-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska . "Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said.

7 comments:

Mandy said...

LOL!!!

okbushmans said...

I'm going to miss the Bushisms. Nothing funnier yet grows old rapidly!
And is Andy Borowitz your favorite columnist? Thank you for the introduction, I think I will enjoy his website. Political satire is deliciously entertaining, but in the wrong hands (who take it as fact) can be damaging. Did you read his "Failure to Blow Election" article? It was hilarious.

Christina said...

Did Palin really say that? I could see that coming out of her mouth...maybe this article will help her win in '12!!

What is Letterman going to do- I love his "Great Moments In Presidential Speeches!"

okbushmans said...

Ha ha ha! You really do need to cite your articles you use (because they are good reads for one. Two, so people don't take it at it's word!) And NO, Sarah Palin isn't that dense! She may be at best 'folksy' and at worse be comparable to Bush's eloquence. That was my biggest complaint of her, why can't a woman be relatable without sounding country. Or why can't another woman be intellectual, competitive, and sharp without being called an elitist or a
"BI[censored]CH"? (Clinton) Isn't there someone middle ground? Do we have any examples?

Jen said...

That is just funny! I have to laugh. Sometimes I do wonder if she gets sidetracked with her thoughts when she is speaking which makes her talk all over the place.

Lisa said...

roflmao

This is fabulous!

Damn that Obama and his elitist complete, coherent sentences!

Ah, what will SNL and the likes of Dave Letterman do now with Palin out of the picture?

Oh wait. She isn't. *sigh*

She likes to talk. She's "folksy" after all - is that the new euphemism for Bush-speak? haha. Good stuff.

okbushmans said...

Did anyone else realize this is a complete satire, fictional? Andy Borowitz is a comedian, not a reporter! It is a hilarious (but UNTRUE) article. Sorry to burst your bubble, you'll have to dig deeper to find a comparably 'folksy' Palin comment...actually you probably wouldn't have to dig too far.
Still, thank you for introducing me to Andy Borowitz. He's a genius!