Reply #50: I have never understood [View All]

[LWolf]

why supposedly thinking people will allow themselves to be caught up by their emotions, without ever looking beyond the speeches for substance.

I first heard Obama speak at the '04 convention. Of course, I was already disappointed in Kerry's nomination, and disgruntled by the "free speech zone" put up by the party, by the eviction of Medea Benjamin, and by what I perceived as a pro-war tone.

Still, the first time I heard him speak I noted his obvious gift for public speaking, and the way he stirred the crowd, without feeling stirred myself.

That hasn't changed in the ensuing years. When I look beyond the speeches to the stances behind them, I find that they don't have the substance I'm looking for; don't have what it takes to move the nation the direction I'd like to be going. In 2008, the "uncritical adulation" has reached hysteria, and I am repulsed by the whole thing.