I can stay silent no longer...there IS something about Obama that drives me nuts!

[flor de jasmim]

Every time he says he want to "make something perfectly clear" it reminds me of Nixon. "Let me be clear," which is possibly what he uses most frequently, but maybe he needs a new expression:

"Let there be no doubt" isn't bad.

Any other ideas out there?

[LisaM]

1. Yeah, he does a few things like that.

I'm glad you pointed that one out. Note: I AM NOT COMPARING HIS POLICIES TO BUSH but, it does remind me of how Bush is always "explaining" things to me.

[blogslut]

2. Nixon?

Aww geeze. Yeah, Obama is Nixon. :rolleyes:

[baldguy]

3. There's a difference: When Nixon said "Let me make something perfectly clear"

Just like every other republican you sure as shit knew the next words out of his mouth were going to be lies.

When Obama says "Let me make something perfectly clear" he's actually trying to make it perfectly clear.

[Cha]

27. Yeah, Obama owns it now..

It's not what you say but what's behind it and how you say it:)

[no_hypocrisy]

4. McCain says stuff from "The Candidate".

When he has "There has to be a better way," I hear Robert Redford/Bill McKay out there campaigning.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

28. or "my friends" like I really hob nob with him and his wife at their mansions

or jet or whatever.

[MADem]

31. "My friends" and most particularly "my friend" have a double meaning

that is well known on the Hill, and the source of a bit of humor. When he says it in a particular way, it is understood that he means "fuck you."

[Renew Deal]

37. He stole it from Reagan

And he thinks it won him the primary which is even funnier.

[MADem]

39. No, he's been saying "My friends" since Reagan was a candidate for CA gov.

And perhaps even before that. It predates his political career, it goes back to his USN days.

It's an old, old joke of sorts. "My friend" was a way of saying "You ...fucker."

[Renew Deal]

40. Maybe Reagan stole if from him

But he picked it up when he was losing in the primaries.

_____________
John McCain’s constant employment of the phrase, “My friends,” is also a type of body language. Although the actual words technically are not, the vocal inflection and the mental image of Ronald Reagan that he hopes to conjure up are. He repeatedly shows pictures of himself with Reagan. He wants us to see Ronnie not John McCain. McCain’s channeling of Reagan is carefully choreographed and everybody knows it.

http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&ID=19582


Reagan using "my friends"
http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres62.html

[MADem]

54. Well, he was using the term well before he divorced Carol Shepp, is all I'm saying.

If someone wants to infer from that, that he had plans of being shot down over Vietnam, imprisoned, coming out, and becoming something OTHER than a flag officer and following in the footsteps of his father, divorcing his wife, marrying another, entering politics, becoming a congressman, then a senator, and running for President twice....I guess they've got a massive pair of crystal balls! You'd need TWO, at least, to see THAT far ahead!

[Captain Hilts]

5. Yes! The phrase 'perfectly clear' I, too, associate with Nixon. nt

[Starbucks Anarchist]

Hillary usually prefaces a statement with "Well, I think..."

:shrug:

[TahitiNut]

6. Congratulations! "Nuts" is a Good Thing.

:applause:

Besides, it's not a drive but merely a short putt. :shrug:

[LisaM]

7. The OP is not saying Obama is Nixon.

She (or he) is just comparing the expressions. And they are quite alike.

[TexanDem]

8. haven't noticed it yet - but Bush's "The American people must undersand" drove me batty!

[DJ13]

9. Beats "My Friends" 100 times in each speech

[katmondoo]

10. Kerry used to drive me nuts saying "I Think" all of the time

I thought he should have been more positive and just make his point without saying "I Think" before every statement.

[LisaM]

13. Well in his case he probably really was thinking things out

I liked the guy, but he always appeared to be weighing every side of a question before he answered and even then he didn't want to commit in case he left out an angle. You could almost see his thought process at work. I saw that with Gore, too.

[Aloha Spirit]

18. Isn't avoiding qualifiers like "I think" a basic tenet of persuasive rhetoric?

[rucky]

11. Believe you me...

at the end of the day, God Bless America!

[Aloha Spirit]

12. "Let me be very limpid"

[Bucky]

25. Why do you hate limpids?

Leave limpids alone!

[anonymous171]

14. "My Friends" vs "Make something perfectly clear"

[ecstatic]

15. "Listen carefully, dimwitted trolls"

:shrug:

Works for me!

[Kahuna]

53. Good one!

:thumbsup:

[NJSecularist]

16. "I am not a crook"...

Hmm... they do have some similarities.

[DefenseLawyer]

24. Pathetic.

How old are you? Do you know anything at all about Nixon or are you another Kevin James, talking out his ass about something you know nothing about. I suggest you educate yourself a little bit. If you still think it is cool to compare Obama to Nixon, you might be in the wrong party.

[NJSecularist]

43. Hillary has been compared to Nixon, Bush... hell, even Hitler.

He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones.

[DefenseLawyer]

44. Really? What rational person compared Hillary to Hitler?

I must have missed that day. You seem to be suggesting that I did, but I will assume you are speaking generally and not take offense at your rather feeble defense of your outrageous remarks. Suffice it to say, Senator Obama bares so little similarity to Richard Nixon that I doubt anyone else will even take the time to engage you on the topic. Good luck with the remainder of Hillary's campaign.

[Lucky 13]

17. Everyone has idiosyncrasies. And idiosyncrasies on how they feel about others idiosyncrasies.

AND it's in our nature to allow one persons' idiosyncrasies to remind of us another's. But when Obama says, "Let me make something perfectly clear" the only effect it has on me is to make me pay closer attention.

[woolldog]

19. Nixon was before my time.

So I don't see it...

[charlie]

20. If he ever says "peace with honor"

I'm heading for the storm cellar. In the meantime, I'll filter out his verbal tics the way I do Hillary's "y'know"s.

[MADem]

34. If he says he has a secret plan to end the war, better step away from the cellar door....

there will be stampede right behind you.

[slackmaster]

21. For me, it's the ears

Anyone with a pair like that HAS to have been referred to as "Wingnut" by someone at some point in his life.

[IsItJustMe]

50. LOL, them are some big ears. I bet he hears real good.

[countingbluecars]

22. This primary

has been going on for so long now that I am beginning to notice such things. I have listened to many of Obama's town hall meetings.
I never get tired of hearing him speak, but his "boy, girl take turns" line when he is about to take questions is getting old. It is time to move on to the GE and some real debate. I think Obama is going to run all over McCain.

[beachmom]

23. Maybe you should go back to being silent.

I mean -- Obama reminds you of Nixon?

:rofl:

[FredScuttle]

26. Obama should laugh more

[Rosemary2205]

36. That's mean

Funny, but mean. :)

[FredScuttle]

41. I'm just sayin...

as long as we're giving Obama style tips.

He should also point more....very endearing

[Erin Elizabeth]

29. I was very very young when Nixon was in office.

As in, too wee to even know much more than my name and who my parents were. I think by the time he resigned I was potty trained. I'm pushing 40. Do you realize how long ago Nixon was on the national stage?

So no, it doesn't put me in mind of Nixon. Especially because there's, well, absolutely nothing else Nixonesque about him at all.

:shrug:

[MADem]

30. "That's a debate I'll be happy to have" when clearly, he would rather not. NT

[DU GrovelBot]

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[sfaprog]

33. Every time Hillary votes for war, it reminds me of Bush

The way her hand doesn't get thrust in the air like an over-zealous student, but rather coolly flips it up as if to say "yeah, I'm totally down with killing people"

[Arugula Latte]

35. Talking about obliterating people shows you're tough!!

[Cheap_Trick]

57. it's worked out so well for bush

nice to see she's trying to appeal to the same crowd.

[mkultra]

38. A pirate walks into a bar and the bartender says "is that a steering wheel in your pants"

the pirate says "Argghh yes and its driving me nuts!"

[FlaGranny]

42. When Nixon said

"let me make this perfectly clear" he had a weird way of waggling his cheeks. The impersonators of the time had it down pat.

[shaniqua6392]

45. I only hate the way he says

Ummm and Ahhh ten times in every sentence. It is just one of my pet peeves. If he were doing a speech class, he would get an F-. I can live with it, but I find myself screaming at him to stop it. It breaks up the sentence too many times and it makes him appear less confident in his answers. As for the "make something perfectly clear"....I see what you are saying. But everyone seems to have something they say every time they begin to make a point. Anything is better than, "Ya know what I'm saying?" That is another of my pet peeves. I thought Obama did an awesome job today with the press conference though!! He made me a little more of a fan today than I was yesterday.

[Blue_In_AK]

55. Another one to go with the ums and ahs

is when he says a-a-a-a-n-n-n-n-n-d-d-d-d-d when he's making a compound sentence. Just put a period in there, Barack.

[theboss]

46. He has a few little ticks like that

My guess is that when you give 100 speeches a week, you fall into some lazy habits.

Nothing is as bad as "my friends" though.

Except that forward slump W gives when he is trying to make a point that he is incapable of articulating.

[Lautremont]

47. I thoink he should clear his throat violently and frequently, like Neil Hamburger.

[Forkboy]

48. LOL...a Neil Hamburger reference on DU!

I love this place! :)

[Lautremont]

51. Best comedian out there!

The way he uses the throat-clearing to drown out hecklers could be a useful tactic for Obama in meetings, press conferences, etc.

[DearAbby]

49. Yeah, I can understand that...

but it sure beats Listen up, you pieces of shit :shrug:

[Kahuna]

52. If Hillary says, "I BELIEVE..." at the top of voice one more time, I'll commit

myself.

[crankychatter]

56. how about "Let me mentally formulate a resonse while I preface verbally with something vacuous."

how's that?

maybe he could say it in French?

[boppers]

58. Is arugula french?

:)

Ooh, maybe he could sip a latte while formulating a response too!

[dorkulon]

59. Oh yeah, "let me be clear." What an asshole!

:eyes:

[MagickMuffin]

60. "Simply stated there is 'NO DOUBT' Saddam Hussein has WMD" DICK CHENEY

I don't like the No Doubt meme any better.

I don't have a problem with "let me make this perfectly clear"