Obama’s Speeches Are Beginning To Lose Their Shine

Obama is beginning to lose some of his flair as a speaker. His speech for Mandela was of high quality, but persuasion can mostly be found in the credibility of the speaker, according to Roderik van Grieken, director of the Dutch Debate Institute.

President Obama spoke on Tuesday at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg. The images were spread throughout the world and there was much enthusiasm and praise for the president. Yet Obama is beginning to lose his shine as a persuasive speaker.

Between a Dream …

First, let me say that as usual, yesterday’s speech by the American president was high quality. Beautiful stylistic devices and one-liners were presented with a great feel for timing and intonation. And all this even without autocue, but rather from paper. But persuasion is mostly found in the credibility of the speaker. Nelson Mandela might be the best example. And it is exactly in this area that you notice that Obama has been losing some of his flair recently.

… or Reality

This is caused especially by the raw reality of the presidency. In 2008 he already appeared as a historical president: the first black president of the United States. Until that day, many perceived this as impossible. He also appeared as a promise. “Change!” is what he would bring. Was that possible? “Yes, we can!” For a long time he could build on this promise in his speeches. He took every chance to speak about hope and a better world and we believed it, or wanted to believe it, coming from his mouth. “On this day we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises … that for far too long have strangled our politics.” This is what Obama spoke of during his inaugural speech in January 2009, accompanied by massive cheers. It sounded like an attainable ideal because of the person, Obama. His persuasion was so strong that he even won the Nobel Peace Prize in his first year. As encouragement.

But almost five years later it seems that Obama, as opposed to greats like Mandela and Churchill, has not been able to shape his country and the world to his ideal. And it is slowly taking away from his persuasion. “We can choose a world defined not by conflict, but by peace and justice and opportunity,” Obama said yesterday in Johannesburg. A great message and always perfectly presented. But it is received a little less powerfully than a couple of years ago. Obama is no longer “the savior” but a prominent part of the complex unruliness of the practice. Guantanamo Bay is still open. That is not so much an accusation as a fact. And that bothers Obama the speaker.

Expiration Date

Moreover, history has shown that for almost all rhetorically talented statesmen the most memorable speeches are held at the beginning of their reign. Precisely because they as speaker have the most impact at that moment. For example, Ronald Reagan convinced [the people] in his inaugural speech: “Government is not the solution to our problem, government IS the problem!”

Tony Blair experienced his rhetoric climax when he had been prime minister only a few months and described the recently deceased Princess Diana as “the people’s princess.” Winston Churchill, as new prime minister, pulled his country through a seemingly hopeless position at the start of World War II with brilliant quotes like “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” and his legendary “this was their finest hour” speech. The country was gasping for leadership and he brought it.

These speeches have mainly become historic because the right person correctly delivered a felt or hoped-for message. All the mentioned leaders held great speeches later in their career as well. But the impact of their speeches was the biggest at the beginning of their leadership. At that moment they could really stir us. After all, a politician has an expiration date. Someone such as Tony Blair was immensely popular as prime minister and was justly perceived as an inspired speaker. Eventually his rhetorical talent turned against him. His inspired speech was perceived mostly as annoying after his heavily criticized role in the run-up to the war in Iraq. The British were fed up with his pushy attitude and his predictable sentence constructions. It was time for a new savior.

Predictable

Obama will not find himself in this position just yet. But still I am noticing that recently I have been listening to and judging his speeches differently. Yes, they are all constructed beautifully, and yes, he is a master at delivering the message. But the intonation, structure and style devices are becoming increasingly more recognizable and predictable. Additionally the deeds are not synchronized with the words. It could very well be the case that his most convincing speeches are further and further behind him. But maybe I am wrong. In his own words, and spoken in more speeches: Let’s bend the arc of history toward a better future. I hope he succeeds!