as an orator, where in history does clinton stand....

[Jaybird]

i just watched his speech from earlier tonight again....I cant begin to tell you how in awe i am when he speaks. i hang on every word.......would anyone rate him up there witk MLK, JFK, etc. i would

[bhunt70]

1. personally I would, yes.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

2. I still think

Martin Luther King, Jr. was better, but Clinton ranks right up there with the best.

I'd put Clinton ahead of JFK, by the way.

[Zomby Woof]

3. Top 5

Easily.

In American politics, there is Webster and Bryan at the top... Clinton is worthy, by far.

[LearnedHand]

6. I agree

Not at the VERY top, but right up there.

[Zomby Woof]

10. I'll add Cuomo

His '84 keynote decimating Reagan's "Shining City On A Hill" was pure oratorical platinum.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Truly awe inspiring!

Hubby (the moderate) kept telling me to let him know when Hillary's on. He found her speech to be un-inspiring and expected more. (so what? she was just introducting Bill!)

But he thought Clinton had a good speech. :)

(I thought Clinton did an OUTSTANDING job!!! Both of them!)

[hippiegranny]

5. he is the best alive today

his timing, delivery and message are all right on.

[never_get_over_it]

9. Mario Cuomo

is very good too - and I'm looking forward to hearing Ted Kennedy tomorrow night - but the Big Dog is awesome...he always does a fabulous job.

[opihimoimoi]

11. TOPS..... in every category....TOPS.....no notes, spoke clearly, injected

Humoe, reason, common sense, history, perfect timing, etc etc

Speech teachers will use this speech to train their classes for years on how to be an outstanding effective speaker.....

The same speech teachers will use Bushes speeches too, as how NOT to make a speech.

[liberalmuse]

7. The speech gave me chills.

That's a first for me as far as political speeches go.

Bill Clinton is one of the great speakers of our time, and yes, I would put him up there with FDR, MLK and JFK. Stunning! History is going to be extremely kind to him.

[xxqqqzme]

8. I am a total sucker for

a good speech and good delivery. (I am an Xtremely cheap date.) Bill is the Big Dog when it comes to public speaking. JFK was good as was FDR & MLK. WJC is among the top 5 in the last half of the 20th century. A sliver of Barbara Jordan's speech was broadcast 2night. Now that woman could make anybody stop and listen. She is one of my personal heroes.

[AlCzervik]

12. i watched Clinton on cspan 1 and Kennedy on cspan2

they ran theie speeches at the same time. I thought Clinton was really on the top of his game and did so well by Kerry and Edwards, they panned the crowd and people were teary eyed and so was i. Kudos to Gore, good humor and a good speech.

[Eric J in MN]

13. Near the top (nt)

nt

[Justitia]

14. Kennedys: RFK, JFK & Teddy are platinum status

Of course, substance is unsurpassed, but they also have incredible cadence, and their ability to express complex ideas with such clarity lead me to belive they have it in the genes.

Clinton is right up there with the "charisma" and "persuasiveness" categories.

Al Gore and Howard Dean are supremo with the "cut the crap" factor and their ability to reach right into the heart of the matter.

In short, the Kennedys could inspire a dead man, Clinton would make him swoon and convince him he's really alive - then Gore & Dean would get his blood pumping and on his way out the door to get busy!

How's that?

[Pallas180]

15. Yes.

luv big dawg and Mrs. Big Dawg was no slouch.

I think she got as big a greeting as Big Dawg/

[saltpoint]

16. Add Franklin Pierce.

Unsuccessful at many other things, Pierce was a wildly gifted speaker.

[Zen Democrat]

17. Bill is the man for our times.

We're had many, many great speakers ... going back to Henry Clay the orator of the Senate. FDR was the voice of his time. JFK and MLK were the voices of their time. Clinton is the voice of our time.

Ted Kennedy and Mario Cuomo and Jesse Jackson can give hugely effective political stemwinders. But Clinton is in a league of his own right now. There won't be another like him.

[Bucky]

18. Wm J Bryan, Sojourner Truth, & Abe Lincoln (despite a sorta whiny voice)

Great speakers are pretty thick in our history. Clinton is entirely a product of the post-TV generation. Modern speaking style is so glib compared to ages past that you can hardly compare today's best speakers against history's great orators.

[fujiyama]

19. True

It's hard to compare Clinton to those that lived before radio and television, though wasn't Bryan already alive by the time of radio?

BTW, if you know of any links to Bryan's speeches it would be interesting to hear.

[Zomby Woof]

20. I consider Lincoln the best WRITER

The Gettysburg Address being the masterpiece of his oratory, but because of his voice, his speechwriting is what made him great, rather than the combination of speech skills and content that makes for a comprehensive orator.

[Bake]

21. Certainly one of the two greats of our lifetime

I'm 48, and I remember MLK. Dr. King and Mr. Clinton. We'll not see their like again. Not in our lifetime.

Bake