By Christopher Gabriel, Blog Harbor

If the presidential election was tomorrow and we could vote for anyone still standing after Iowa and New Hampshire, I’d be in real trouble.  Although I’ve been following the debates and primaries like most everyone else, not one candidate in either party has captured my imagination to the extent I could honestly say, “…that’s my guy!”  Or gal.  So, I’ll just do the same thing I’ve done in every presidential campaign since 1976:  I’ll wait to see who emerges once the pretenders go home before beginning my homework, breaking down the candidates and hopefully arriving at a choice that resonates with me in every possible way.  Until then, however, there is one thing I’m quite sure about; one thing that is an absolute:  When Barack Obama speaks, I drop everything to listen.  And if indeed the speech made the president, I’d be joining the Obama campaign right now.

The political process, notably the race for the White House, is one of the great spectacles in all of mankind.  At times, it has all the elements of a traveling carnival going town-to-town:  Politicians in every diner, legion hall, union hall, barber shop and hardware store practically yelling at us to “Step right up!”  We’re told exactly what we want to hear, what we hope will happen, the many things a candidate will do for us that will make us happy, the many things a candidate won’t do that surely would upset us, and how he/she will basically make our lives — our country — better than we’ve ever imagined.  And then a day, a week or several weeks later, they pack up the wagons along with their respective “Agent of Change” elixirs, and ride out of town. 

Mind you, early in the game we don’t necessarily get more than 20% of a candidate’s actual position on something but really, does it matter?  For those of us unable to meet a candidate face-to-face and really get an honest feel for where that individual stands on a given issue, we’re left with watching and listening to them on television and deciding if they look presidential while analyzing how their message sounds.  More importantly, how are their respective messages being delivered?  Since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy, I cannot think of a better orator, with a more powerful and mesmerizing voice, than Barack Obama.  And if you listen closely, his style is very reminiscent of both Dr. King and President Kennedy.

Dr. King was the most remarkable orator I’ve ever heard.  His greatest asset as a speaker was the sincere passion in his soul for all that he believed in, channeled into every word, every sentence and every pause during all of his remarkable speeches.  That man understood nuance.  He was a master of phrasing . . . and the repetition of phrases, allowing every subsequent thought to be premised by the same phrase allowing for greater and greater impact.  His “I Have a Dream…” speech is a perfect example.  And I don’t think it’s coincidence that Obama uses that same style of repetition.

In his New Hampshire concession speech, Obama was brilliant using the phrase “Yes we can . . .” over and over as he put an intensely positive face on his second place finish to Sen. Clinton.  That simple repetition served its purpose, as his supporters got more and more vocal and energized with every subsequent thought. 

Another quality he has is his ability to extend words beyond their normal length which adds weight and depth to what might ordinarily be little more than a simplistic statement.  Both Dr. King and President Kennedy were masters of this technique, if we can categorize it that way.  It’s also something that is downright Shakespearean, dating back to the days of the Elizabethans. 

Shakespeare, in the original texts of his works, wrote an additional “e” on the ends of certain words to let actors know he wanted something special done to that particular word.  Usually, it meant he wanted extra emphasis on it.   Whether by design or not, you can hear Dr. King and President Kennedy, in speech after speech, doing that very thing.  Barack Obama is no different.

It matters little whether or not this is something Obama does naturally, or something he’s been advised to do.  The end result is what we hear and what we hear is compelling and powerful.  And it doesn’t hurt that he seems to have most every speech memorized.  It’s the rare moment you see him looking down at any notes.  When you put it all together — the eye contact he makes, the repetition of phrases, the lengthening of words, his spot-on timing and his understanding of nuance – he brings you into his world with the urgency and immediacy of what amounts to a verbal vice grip.

When you contrast his speaking prowess with the relative merits of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Mit Romney . . . any of the others, it’s a man among boys and a girl.  Issues aside, Clinton sounds contrived and forced, Edwards tries way too hard to seem down-home and “one of us”, Romney always seems angry and McCain . . . well, although a man of great character, he simply isn’t a very good speaker.

I’m convinced Obama could go on national television and say, ”Ladies and gentlemen, before I discuss health care and the economy, I’m going to read several pages from the Enid, Oklahoma phone book…” and bring in massive ratings, drawing raves from political analysts on every network.

The next President of the United States will not get to the Oval Office simply by being a great speaker.  Whether you like him or loathe him, our current President will never be included in a book titled Great Speakers of Our Time.  If anything, George Bush is a prime example of a President who got to the White House regardless of his deficiencies as an orator.   

In the case of Barack Obama, should Americans conclude that beyond the brilliance of his speeches there is also depth, sincerity and substance to his platform and his convictions, his will be the name on the Democratic ticket this November.

barack obama photo, courtesy washingtonpost.com

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