And who do we have that can get the crowds going like that? Or is getting the elecorate energised below Irish political parties? When is the last time a YouTube video of a politician here got sent around from someone outside of the party?
Damien Mulley
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didn’t you know, we are a nation of begrudgers. sad but true
You’re presuming we could find an Irish politician who can actually speak.
We do.
We send videos of Brian Cowen drunkly singing and… err… more interisting moments of debate in the Dail.
I don’t think that Irish political parties (or politicians) deliberately eschew powerful public speaking but we are looking at the top of the game here. Obama is probably the best political orator in the world and he now holds the most powerful political office in the world. It’s not coincidence. Being mildly cynical for a moment it’s also a lot easier in opposition to bemoan the ills of the day or raise tear jerking moments of miscelanneous misery as encountered upon the campaign trail. A lot tougher task for an incumbent (Just for the record I’m with the Dems all the way and especially our man in Illinois – http://jameslawless.ie/2008/02/10/clinton-calls-up-the-paper-cumainn/ always was).
Across the water David Miliband’s keynote at the UK Labour party conference earlier this (woops 2008) last year (http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=NlA7Yghf1CQ) has many echoes to the opening of this piece. Another one to watch for greatness.
Closer to home I was seated beside the Taoiseach at a rally last June and watched as he casually toyed with a wad of briefing notes on his lap but with his eyes all the time focussed upon the warmup speaker. I guessed he would reference them once his turn came. To my amazement he stood to the podium notes unopened on the empty seat beside me and proceeded to speak for 30-40 minutes on detailed, difficult issues of policy. He had a comprehensive grasp of the issues, the details and the necessary words to convey them and all that came from within. Not inspirational oratory but intense, intelligent delivery.
I’ve seen speakers at local level command a crowd and I’ve seen rallying cries come from the unlikliest of corners. But the cameras aren’t usually rolling at townhall roadshows.
As for those (speakers) that do come unto our media’s attention we just don’t have an Obama right here right now. Nowhere else does either. Obama is top of the game. He is master of the craft. And he is one.
A glint of hope for the future, I had a youTube debut in the pipeline recently until my video man hightailed it to Australia.. but watch this space 🙂
James
[…] Fanfare greeted the arrival in Dublin last night of Obama’s online mogul, Joe Rospars. He trades under BlueStateDigital and they’re a pretty serious outfit.. (If you don’t immediately get the blue state thing just go listen to Obama’s convention 04 speech).. […]