General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Bill Clinton's Speeches Succeed
Because he treats listeners as if they are smart.
That is the significance of "They want us to think" and "The strongest argument is" and "The arithmetic says one of three things must happen" and even "Now listen to me here, this is important." He is showing that he understands the many layers of logic and evidence and positioning and emotion that go into political discussion -- and, more important, he takes for granted that listeners can too.
The main other place you hear discussion based on the same assumption that people of any background, education level, or funny-sounding accent can understand sophisticated back-and-forth of argument and counter-claim is sports-talk radio. ("I understand the concern about Strasburg's arm. But ... " You hear insults and disagreements and put-downs on sports-talk discussions. You rarely hear the kind of deliberate condescension, the unconcealable effort as if talking to slow learners, of many political "authorities" addressing the unwashed.
It's the difference between clarifying, and over-simplifying. Clarification, with the confidence that people can understand the back and forth, lies behind passages like this, which characterized most of the speech. Emphasis on the parts that show his approach being applied:
more . . . http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/why-bill-clintons-speeches-succeed/262032/
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)and great delivery.
It's the ability to think fast on his feet. Like the line in his speech, "It takes a lot of brass to criticize another guy for doing what you just did." An off the cuff line, humorous.
Sedona
(3,769 posts)but sounds like he's speaking to just one person, me.
Still digging the Big Dawg.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)fundraising post
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021285933