Obama needs to go through very very tough debate practices

Hes a very good speaker but debates isn't his strong suit. He needs to go through a lot of practice with someone whos a good debater before he goes into that first debate.

soundbite world. He can have wonderful thoughts and answers, but the media will not promote the entirety of his thoughts, they only go to the 10 second soundbite. I hope that he will work on this component of his replies.

Too wordy. Not pithy. Seemed vague. I believe he will have one-line beginnings for every conceivable question. Then he'll dig in a bit. I'm sure he's being coached extensively.

Law school? What was his focus in law school?

be an effective debater in a Presidential debate...

He was chair of law review, and in order to get there, he likely will have gone through moot court and mock trials which is all about debate and arguing.

In both of those classes, you have time to prepare based on your cases. I think he's had time to prepare for the arguments he will face. He knows the issues.

and intellectual and your audience is usually very intelligent.

The opposite of what he needs to be in the debates, imo.

I mean yeah, it's public speaking experience. But Obama has plenty of that and is comfortable speaking publicly. His style needs to be tweaked for the debates though.

Everyone has room for improvement. Legal arguments are in front of juries of common folks. Good lawyers are masters of taking apart something complex and making it understandable for non-legal people. What is important in debate is to be able to do it very quickly. Since Obama has been so smart to really learn and understand the issues by surrounding himself with brilliant people, I think he should do okay. He just needs to let his love shine through so that people get that he is fighting for THEM.

I wonder if McBombBomb will have an earbud feed.

1. There won't be any real debates; just Q & A.
2. I wonder if his weak performance on Olbermann was a deliberate ploy to make the other side underestimate him?

WHen President Kennedy would prepare for a debate he and his group would write 100 of the anticipated questions on note cards and he would practice the answers ad nauseum. That is why he was such a great debater.

:rofl:

the public is the ultimate arbiter of these things. People on DU are giving FEEDBACK. And since it is the public at large who decides who the winner is and what attacks are effective etc, then the FEEDBACK given here is not worthless....especially when pretty much everyone agrees that his answers need to be tighter and more to the point.

That anyone with the campaign actually reads any of this drivel (Including mine....No, especially mine).


I have my doubts that any self respecting campaign professional would have the time to skim the boards looking for direction. Particulary a campaign as smart as Obama's.

they're passing them on to the campaign as well as posting them here. But there's no harm in discussing our impressions.

Oh - you're serious...!!!

yeah the campaign that decides to WAIT while mccain has virtual MOMOPOLY on all ads during the dem convention, and we were told to - wait - you'll see - then we got - all mccain adds during the repuke convention with almost NO obama ads...

and after the conventions - STILL hardly any obama adds but sure almost a mccain ad every half hour or more!!!

yeah - great campaign strategy so far...

oh - and not to forget that mccain has managed to bring about an obama 10 point or more lead to now a mccain lead...

BLOW THEM WITH YOUR EXPERTISE!!1!!1!!

i'M SERIES!11!!


OMFG!111!1

Bullshit bigdarryl, sorry bro , Bullshit!

considering that he will probably have failin palin joined to his hip, Obama has got to come hard and fast. All it will take is for McSame to have a few "good one liners" and he's "won" the debate. Just keeping it real. Obama cannot be law professor in these debates. He's got to talk to the people. He can do it. But I do think it is something he needs to practice, and practice a lot. No one is above improving.

campaign manager medal of valor.

:thumbsup:

:rofl:

is a smart strategy, if you ask me.

...I'm sure he could help the O man out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Goolsbee

As a high school student at Milton Academy, a New England preparatory school, Goolsbee became one of the most decorated competitive speakers in the nation. In 1987, he became the first extemporaneous speaking competitor to go through an entire year of competitions placing only first. This included winning the NCFL national championship in extemporaneous speaking for the second time and winning the National Forensics League's national championship in international extemporaneous speaking as well as placing second in the nation in original oratory.

As a student at Yale he debated on the APDA circuit. In 1990 he and partner Dahlia Lithwick were runners up for National Debate Team of the Year. He and partner John Wertheim placed second at the national championship. In 1991, he and partner David Gray were the National Debate Team of the Year. Goolsbee finished as the third best speaker at the World Debate Championships in Toronto. He later served as coach to the M.I.T. debate team and the University of Chicago debate society, as well as being active in the annual Great Latke-Hamantash Debate.

but I do think that he really needs to prepare, but not over prepare. He can't come across as too programmed either. I think he needs to be relaxed and take a couple of days off the campaign trail before hand.

or some official who was asked, said he didn't have to prepare or practice because he'd answered so many questions about faith so many times. But, IMO, that doesn't get it. The question is what message do you want to get out, in a particular place, at a particular time, to a particular audience -- no matter the questions asked. And not just do you have an answer; how best do you answer any question clearly, concisely, strongly, and memorably?

He's got to stop this bad habit of wandering around for 30 seconds before giving an answer to the question asked. Give the answer, dammit! Then explain it.

"Well, Bill, I think my prior positions on that subject make clear that I've reviewed the past several years of military actions, and based upon that and my meetings with generals and other advisors ....zzzzz."
--- that kind of answer does not satisfy the undecided voters

"I still want to withdraw all troops within 16 months, that's what the Iraqis want, and that's what the American people want."
--- BOOM! That's it. Say it, stop trying to explain it ad nauseam.