What is going on with Hillary's public speaking enunciation and cadence?

[hedda_foil]

I heard most of the speech Saturday and noticed that she was speaking very, very clearly and sloooowly.

Then I heard a clip from today, answering a question about TPP in the same exaggeratedly clear and slow style. And she sounded distinctly like she was talking down to her audience.

Yes, I'm a Bernie supporter, but if she beats him,I'll vote for her in the general.

I'm assuming she was coached to speak like this to sound more authoritative, but after the first hearing, it gets really irritating really fast. I hope someone with her campaign catches this and gets her to back it off a bit.

[geek tragedy]

1. I'm more concerned with the words she says than how she says them.

There isn't a single compelling orator on either side this year.

Maybe Trump.

[haikugal]

2. I disagree...you don't find Bernie compelling?

[geek tragedy]

8. his ideas and vision and values, yes.

His personal charisma and oratory skills?

Not the reason I'm supporting him.

[Voice for Peace]

53. I think his oratory skills are phenomenal when he talks to people on TV

and you can look right in his eyes the whole time.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

130. Not disagreeing, but at least Bernie actually knows what he believes and can complete a sentence without having to refer to his notes.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. The Huckster and The Cruzer are very good speakers

Of course all this is somewhat subjective but most media experts would say they are good at what they do.

[geek tragedy]

12. The Cruzer is good at oral arguments but is unpleasant, so I can't count him.

You have a point with Huck. So many clowns in their clown bus, hard to keep track of them all.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Again this is subjective but communications experts have established some standards...

It's like art...There is a difference between my opinion and that of an aesthete and the weight given to both.


Hillary is an ordinary public speaker, not the best and not the worst...

Heck if you gave Sarah Palin and several other politicians the same speech to deliver she would rate highly... This suggests to me it's also important what people say and not just how they say it...

If the Huckster and the Cruzer weren't so far out of the main stream I would fear them.

[geek tragedy]

19. Huckleberry is likeable though, speaking skill has to involve some degree of not

having the audience despise you.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

22. The right audience loves him...

Him and The Cruzer would have made great televangelists...

[Art_from_Ark]

63. I think it's still a career option with Huck

After all, he would just be returning to his roots.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

69. I grew up in the south though you can argue how "culturally" south FL really is ...

I grew up in the south though you can argue how "culturally" south FL really is so I was bathed in Southern Baptist preaching. In fact the Huckster would be considered an apostate by some of the preachers I knew.

[Art_from_Ark]

76. Yeah, but look at the guy

He's straight out of Central Casting for the part of "Cable Channel Fire-and-Brimstone Huckster"

[DemocratSinceBirth]

81. THe Huckster plays guitar and plays rock music and has gay "friends"

That would make the preacher who baptized me head spin...

He wouldn't even listen to Elvis gospel.

[hatrack]

123. Ted Cruz is that asshole you knew in high school, the cham-peeen debate clubber . . .

. . . who just wouldn't let it go, and wouldn't let it go, and wouldn't let it go, until you started ducking into empty classrooms so that he wouldn't see you and try and start a conversation.

[madokie]

38. The way words are said

a lot of times mean more than the word themselves.

[geek tragedy]

42. not in this case, nt

[Man from Pickens]

111. I don't really care what words she says

as not a one of them is even slightly credible

The patronizing slow talk with affected accents is a flashing neon sign telling the listeners they're hearing lies and deceptions - normal people do not do this because they know it's incredibly insulting to the audience.

[geek tragedy]

118. Lol. nt

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

131. Hillary will get better at deception as she kicks off the rust from 2008, just you watch.

[Thinkingabout]

3. Thanks for the concern.

[immoderate]

4. I noticed it too.

--imm

[Motown_Johnny]

5. so do we know if she supports the TPP?

Maybe speaking slowly means fewer questions.

[JaneyVee]

6. I actually thought she was better today off the cuff than...

Reading her script off paper. The video: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/hillary-holds-presser-addresses-trade-deal-after-silence-criticized-by-dem-opponents/

[madokie]

43. Or also the teleprompter like she was Saturday

or was that just my imagination

[JaneyVee]

45. It was your imagination...

Watch the speech. Notice she keeps looking at podium to read script. Teleprompters would mean never looking at podium.

[madokie]

48. you are in denial

you just believe what you want but I ain't gonna believe it. I seen it with my own lying eyes.

When I linked to this originally you were saying where was that video taken as if it wasn't the one saturday. remember or am I mis-remembering that too.

[JaneyVee]

51. What? Just watch the video. She's obviously reading off the podium...

Teleprompters are made so you don't have to look down. Perhaps other speakers at the event used the teleprompters.

[madokie]

58. some of the time she did yes

in that picture there she is reading off the teleprompter. I don't have to look directly, which one can't even say she is or not, to be able to read the words that are appearing there. Good news readers do it all the time, bad ones its obvious what their doing.

[JaneyVee]

59. She wouldn't use a script and a tele. That makes no sense.

It seemed more of a combination of paper script and memory.

[madokie]

62. do you not understand what a teleprompter is for

to project the words on so the speaker doesn't have to keep looking down at the podium. A good speaker will occasionally look down to give the audience an impression that they're using the scrip on the podium for a general idea but that they're really remembering what the rest they're saying is. Some speakers never learn how to properly use one. Bill is an expert on its use so is Obama. If its not in the camera's view then it appears they are talking from memory.

[SaranchaIsWaiting]

77. I didn't know that about teleprompters. Thanks.

Makes perfect sense now. And you are right about Obama being very good at utilizing it - he is practically flawless at it.

[madokie]

80. Welcome to DU

I hope you find it as enjoyable and a good source of good information as many of us do.

[JaneyVee]

79. But she DOES keep looking at the podium. Watch the video.

Jeez. This has to be the dumbest debate on the internet.

[madokie]

83. Yes she does

If she wasn't using those teleprompters they wouldn't be there.

Before I realized what they were for I though maybe to deflect a bullet but that really didn't make sense either as there was too much open space still

Lets not make this debate any dumber ok.

[AngryAmish]

52. Reading verbatim really makes speeches suck

Know your material, write the speech out, reduce to outine, practice, do speech in front of a critical audience ( 1 person, quite frankly should be Big Dog), practice an hour before...go.

[JaneyVee]

55. I actually like it better than tele's. I like when Obama does it too.

[hedda_foil]

75. I just heard a clip of that part of the presser but she was definitely doing it in the clip.

It may have struck me more because I was listening while cleaning up, but it was a lot less natural sounding than 2008.

[CherokeeDem]

7. It's called good diction.... nt

[appalachiablue]

56. Psst. Still rolling, catch anything good today?

[CherokeeDem]

84. You are such a comedian...

Prove it every time you type...

[appalachiablue]

96. Such a whit, bet you even get paid for it. See you around and hang in there.

[leftofcool]

9. She sounded fine to me. Might be she is a bit tired, though.

She has been busy.

[quadrature]

10. the teleprompter is running too slow ...nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. I literally haven't listened to Rush in years but he always used to bray that President Obama...

I literally haven't listened to Rush in years but he always used to bray that President Obama doesn't go anywhere without his teleprompter,

[geek tragedy]

15. If you're going to use rightwing talking points, at least use them at the correct target nt

[quadrature]

16. her recovery from a fall/stroke, took six months ...

there are going to be consequences.

[geek tragedy]

18. that's better. I had forgotten the rightwing conspiracy theories

and pants-pooping over her getting a concussion.

Obviously, you have all the rightwing crap at your fingertips. you do what you do very well

[quadrature]

26. Bill Clinton said six months. he would be in a position to know

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/05/hillary-clinton-took-6-months-to-get-over-concussion-bill-says-of-timeline/

I would direct your attention
to the second paragraph -->
..................copy/paste follows......
The former president revealed that his wife's injury "required six months of very serious work to get over," he said during a question-and-answer session at the Peterson Foundation in Washington.
..............................

[geek tragedy]

28. you have the Republican Party's oppo research at your fingertips, amazing.

She developed a blood clot from the concussion. That's serious business.

[JaneyVee]

32. How long has it been?

[6chars]

125. that's not bad for a concussion

outside of the NFL, if you know someone whose had one they just take a long time to recover from (but eventually).

[sufrommich]

24. Hillary Clinton did not have a stroke,that's pure

right wing bullshit.

[JaneyVee]

25. Wow, I googled it and its ALL rightwing sites.

[sufrommich]

29. That's because it's fictional right wing nonsense.

Interesting to find it being spread on DU.

[okasha]

113. Peggy Noonan and Andrew Sullivan

have also been invoked.

[randys1]

31. LOL

The smell of desperation is strong with this one

[JaneyVee]

21. Oh cool a teleprompter joke.

[geek tragedy]

23. par for the course with this one.

I think their lack of pretense is the only thing that's kept them from being banned

[Cha]

128. Really.. what's with all the rw teleprompter accusations. "Obama uses a Teleprompter!" Then we

posted pics with all their rw gods using what..? "The Teleprompter" you say!

[L0oniX]

50. How old school! I'll bet she's using Google Glass.

[LordGlenconner]

14. I thought "Bernie" supporters only cared about substance?

[randys1]

33. That was my first thought when I read thie OP, but when I read the OP saying they will

support Hillary if she is the nominee, I calmed down.

But this whole conversation is right out of somewhere OTHER than democratic world.

[madokie]

44. This is an issue

to me anyway
That and keeping the record straight. Thats an issue too

[Gloria]

20. I found it relaxed and it's probably an effort to tone down the

female voice...which pundits love to call SHRILL, HIGH-PITCHED, AGGRESSIVE, etc. etc. It wasn't harsh and seemed very easy on the ears, at least to my ears.

Also, sound quality will vary from place to place, so maybe it's a way to deal with any sound issues that may come up at a particular place...echoes, etc.

[orpupilofnature57]

27. Platitudes and poetry require a Shakespearean flow .

[Tace]

30. Maybe She's Trying To Appeal To Middle America

I haven't heard Hillary lately, yet since moving from NYC to rural central Vermont eight years ago, I notice how fast people talk on national television shows. Also people from cities.

Actually, I first noticed it when we were looking for houses up here. Even the Vermont TV news shows have a slower delivery than national news shows.

I think maybe it's an attempt by Hillary to appeal to Middle America where people really do speak at a slower, calmer, perhaps even more-reasoned, pace, than people from big cities.

Also, in this context, someone speaking quickly seems less trustworthy, as if they're trying to "pull a fast one." Speaking in a slower, more deliberate, way could be effective for her if she can pull it off. Sounds like maybe it's not working as intended (yet?)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

35. LOL

I remember back in the day my buddy pointing out to a study of the 88 election that suggested Dukakis spoke at an eighth grade level and Bush Pere spoke at a fifth grade level.

[HereSince1628]

40. People respond to affect as much as words, so it's an element of communication....

She's known to slip in and out of accents, to me, she also seems to adopt 'roles'/personas depending on the topic on which she's talking.

Many people do this and I don't think any of that is a big deal for HRC or any other candidate unless it comes off as staged, or worse, somehow condescending/patronizing.

[madokie]

54. I really like for people

who are talking to me to talk too me, not down at me and to use their normal voice. if thats her normal then thats fine but from listening to her in the past that is not her normal.
You don't reckon they got her on elavil now and that is her new normal do you. Just kid'n

Saturdays speech was way too long for me and generally when thats the case its one of two things. what we're talking about here or outright bull. ymmv

[DemocratSinceBirth]

39. This is an awesome thread...

"...it makes it appear that she might not be "all there".

One poster suggested her speech was affected by the alleged stroke she suffered and another poster is suggesting she's non compos mentis.



Call it another HRC Whipping Post thread:

[sufrommich]

41. Yep.Such class. nt

[Cha]

139. So much "class" it rightfully got a HIDE... 'cause it was another mean spirited post.

[appalachiablue]

49. Cool, Allman Bros. Saw them perform in Marietta Ohio at a college

homecoming with Duane long ago. Their Stormy Monday is great too.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

57. My favorite Allman Brothers song

Last edited Mon Jun 15, 2015, 07:58 PM - Edit history (1)

70s Southern Rock ruled

Marshall Tucker Band
Elvin Bishop
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Allman Brothers
Wet Willie

[appalachiablue]

60. That's a beauty and I have the album, somewhere. wow-

What a nice break from these hairy posts with some fine music. Not too many around anymore that bring up 70s southern rock, not in my world anyway. Thanks.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

68. Saw Wet Willie at the Great Southern Music Theatre in Orlando in 78

I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd do a promotion for their Street Survivors album in the parking lot of the Altamonte Mall weeks before their fatal plane crash.

[appalachiablue]

74. Lynard S. had some great work. Fine times those were for sure.

Seems everybody got along well, the youth anyway back then. There's so much hate now, and change particularly the South I guess. A weird time, glad I lived when I did. You must receive many remarks about the Cassius Clay image. That portrait really captures him in essence and strength.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

78. I have the same heroes as I did when I was an eighth grader at Deltona Junior High School

I have the same heroes as I did when I was an eighth grader at Deltona Junior High School; the martyred Kennedy brothers, Dr. King, and Muhammad Ali.


My mom, god bless her , met Muhammad Ali in Orlando in 1987 and told him "my son loves you". He asked her my name and he autographed a piece of paper to her with my name on it.

[appalachiablue]

92. That's incredible about your Mom, Ali and the autograph. I have long ties to FL, but don't

get there so much anymore. Loved Miami as a kid and later, many trips to the Keys, Key West, beautiful. *I wonder, there must be a MUSIC Group here on DU, I'll check that out. Nice to distract from the serious political issues a bit.

[slipslidingaway]

138. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" ...

one of my all time favorites

[sufrommich]

64. The Allman Brothers with Duane.

I hope you realize how lucky you were.

[appalachiablue]

70. Yep, very lucky I've long known. I can remember that concert like yesterday; 3 of us

drove up the Ohio River area to Marietta at the suggestion of a friend, Sat. night homecoming. The event was in a medium size college theater building, not a gym or anything funky. We were right up near the stage, awesome, seeing Butch Trucks and the drums, Dickey Betts, Barry, Greg. I had barely heard of them, it must have been 70 or 71. The Georgia Peach Album, Little Martha, great one too.

In college around 74 I saw Elvis perform, fabulous show and he looked great. I went walking around upstairs to the balcony area above the stage below. When security saw me they said I could stay, so that's where I hung out looking down at him and the performance below, very close.

At the end Elvis threw out the aqua scarves, all the ladies were trying to catch them. I was one of the youngest ones there and the only hippie type. There were a lot of women in their 30s in white shindig boots with their little ones. I had two tickets but couldn't convince anyone to go, ha! So glad I did that. Around 71 I saw Ike & Tina, that was wild. So many great musicians, Ritchie Havens, Dylan, Joni, Aretha Franklin, et al.

I take it you're another rock music fan from way back.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

71. i had the opportunity to see Elvis when he played in Orlando shortly before his death

He wasn't "cool" at the time...Biggest mistake I ever made because he was a singularly great talent.

[appalachiablue]

82. That's a shame, same uncool era with me although my sister & friend I asked to

the concert didn't say that outright. Later they liked it. One group I don't know how I missed was Santana, wth? Never remember hear them touring my area, how's that possible. Maybe cuz I was in the east, dunno. I'm not a musician but an appreciator definitely. My late husband played keyboards and little brother produced a music company in NYC. Saw Jagger in the recording studio once, very wasted but happy!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

86. Saw the Stones and Van Halen at the Citrus Bowl in 81 for $16.00.

Biggest mistake was not seeing Elvis.


Concerts I have been to

BB King
Wet willie
Rolling Stones
Paul McCartney
Eric Clapton
The Eagles
Elvin Bishop
Jimmy Buffett
The Eagles
Public Enemy

[appalachiablue]

93. Lucky you saw the Stones, McCartney and the others. Saw Clapton, BB, Buffett.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

97. Saw McCartney four times

1990

Joe Robbie Stadium Miami
Orlando Citrus Bowl Orlando
RFK Stadium 7/4/90


1993

Blocbuster Bowl -Charlotte

Clapton

Orlando Arena 1990

Saw Buffett twice, once backing up the Eagles and once as a headliner.

If you like the Beach Boys you need to see Love and Mercy. I saw it last week. Paul McCartney said God Only Knows[ is the best song ever written:

[appalachiablue]

101. Lot of McCartney, just saw him join Ringo for a Music Hall of Fame event on HBO, I believe.

Both still look really good. My sister drove to Toronto from DC just to see Clapton, twice she said when she returned. It was a spur of the moment thing. Which *RFK Stadium did you see McC. at?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

102. RFK STADIUM, Washington DC 7-4-90./NT

[appalachiablue]

107. Knew it, DC of course, home for me now. That's where we saw Dylan around 80

when he was dubbed 'Disco Dylan'. But he was fantastic, had a slightly flashy black & silver outfit on, but real class.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

110. Dylan, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beach Boys, and Springsteen are on my still haven't seen yet list

eom

[appalachiablue]

112. Good list, haven't seen any but Dylan. Should have seen Springsteen, like Santana.

There have been some Dem. pols in the family, a grandfather who was also a bodyguard for Jack Dempsey during the 1923 Tommy Gibbons fight in Shelby, MT. They were cousins. I recall my dad saying he sat in D's lap as a boy and noticed how large his hands were. Much of this I didn't learn until later in life. We all turned out Dems. w/o any influence just because of our nature and the times I'm sure.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

115. My dad was a Golden Gloves boxer. My uncle was a pro boxer...

Ironically they were both blind in one eye; my dad from taking shrapnel in The North African campaign and my uncle from a detached retina he got in the ring.

[appalachiablue]

117. Cool, did you get into boxing? My dad was in Germany, 7th Army, artillery,

Rhineland Campaign and the Occupation in Bavaria. No injury but decorated for combat, and spent time there for shell shock. What field was your dad? And how did they manage with the vision loss? My brother had a detached retina but is ok. For years I worked with the visually impaired.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

119. My dad contacted malaria and took shrapnel in his right eye...

My dad contacted malaria and took shrapnel in his right eye... He was in Walter Reed Hospital for six months...He had several surgeries...They saved the eye cosmetically but He couldn't see out of it... Before the War he was quite the athlete. He won awards in swimming, boxing, and baseball... In some ways after the war he was a broken man. He could do things like drive of course. He passed away when i was fourteen.

He was a sharpshooter/infantryman.

I sparred for fun as a kid. You have to have a bit of "crazy" in you to be a fighter because no one likes to be hit.

[appalachiablue]

120. I know Walter Reed. The war experience & injuries must have been difficult. Did the quinine

take care of the malaria? Dad didn't mention the war much and being young and stupid we didn't ask, too self absorbed. Sharpshooter is cool. Dad did a lot of fishing and hunting, had a fair amount of guns I recall, but not a nut about it. His vision was 20/15 perfect I know, but when he tried for the air force he found out he was color blind, red-green. You need good color to see targets, so it was the army, 1st Liet. He was a real fighter, for real. Naturally fit and athletic, temper too.

Before my parents married, at a party my dad got upset when an Oklahoma Navy officer arrived with 2 bottles of champagne for my mom. Dad started a fight, but didn't realize his opponent was the Navy welter weight boxer from Puerto Rico. Must have been good to whup dad. My sister got a LOT of his traits. *I guess you would have to be a bit crazy, or fierce to take the hits, never looked at it this way. My husband was naturally athletic, recruited to play college ball by Lou Holtz but was badly injured at Morgantown (where I was a student at the time), broke his thigh bone in half, they pinned it back together, 2 months in hospital.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

124. Perhaps the malaria weakened his heart because he died of a heart attack at 58

Perhaps the malaria weakened his heart because he died of a heart attack at 58 while his three brothers lived into their 80s and 90s

[appalachiablue]

126. That's a shame esp. with such longevity in his family. A friend who worked in Africa got

malaria, but took the pills and was ok. They thought my dad might have had a heart attack in his 50s, but no treatment then and no one talked about it. He seemed healthy otherwise, but was taken quickly at 65 much too soon, an awful shock to all.

Nice talking to you, guess I'll roam over and see what's happening with the dueling candidates action, I just pray one of them defeats the GOP God help us. Jeb announced today I think, ugh. Stay in touch ok? We can talk more music, anytime!

[sufrommich]

72. Little Martha is the only Allman Brothers song

credited to Duane,it was actually written by him to warm up before performing.It was added to Eat A Peach after Duane's death. You have some great concert memories,better than mine.Yeah, I'm an old rock music fan from way back.

[appalachiablue]

89. I didn't know that about Little Martha. Duane was fantastic, all of them. What an original sound.

Although I'm not a musician I love music, whole family actually. Little brother was a producer in NY, late husband a keyboard player for a while. This has been very pleasant, esp. on this forum. Makes me think I need to revive some artistic friends! Not that I don't love politics, but it's heavy and the primary has just started. Yikes! Who else do you like?

[sufrommich]

94. I love The Who and have forever,The Allman Brothers are a close

second though,that's why I'm so jealous you got to see the original line up! Yeah, this primary stuff makes enemies out of friends and gets tiresome,have you ever visited this forum: http://www.classicrockforums.com/forum/ ? It's fun and stays clear of politics (usually). How cool that your brother was a music producer in N.Y.,I'll bet he's got some interesting stories.

[appalachiablue]

98. The Who were so popular. I'm remembering way back to Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, the Cream.

Only recall a little. I was very young but had older siblings and friends who were a major influence. I'll check out that rock forum, thanks. A few months ago someone did a Lounge post asking who your favorite concert group was; there were some great replies and I did a recollection then. Good stuff. This is great, continue and stay in touch!

[sufrommich]

100. Will do!

[1StrongBlackMan]

67. I didn't see the stroke "explanation" before I posted my ...

It was the stroke. Shhh! Don't tell anyone!" response ... so I'll self-delete it and go with:

"I heard the cadence was designed to hypnotize the audience. Just wait to she says the word, 'aardvark' ... Good times will be had by all!"

[OilemFirchen]

99. Curious that post was hidden...

and not the ones from the Dittoheads.

Actually, no. Not curious at all.

[Bonobo]

104. Or this for an FZ alternative.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

105. Since my tastes are plebeian this is my favorite Zappa song

[Bonobo]

108. Musically, that piece is far from plebeian. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

109. My friend is a Zappa afficianado...He's not a big fan of that song./NT

[Maedhros]

36. Maybe speechmaking is not her forte? [n/t]

[Sanity Claws]

37. She's had too many focus groups

I was at the gym and watched her without sound. She kept pointing with her index finger. She would talk with one finger pointing away. The she turned to the other side of the room and pointed with the other finger. Very practiced, very studied. Nothing wrong with being prepared but this is way beyond that. Absolutely nothing genuine or spontaneous in her motions

[Exilednight]

46. They teach pols not to point with their fingers. Bill use to do this

If you look at his early speeches. Pointing makes the audience feel like their being lectured.

Bill was coaches to turn his finger in and point with his knuckle.

[Sanity Claws]

61. Just watch her

Maybe the conventional wisdom has changed. Maybe she's getting bad advice. Regardless, that is what she is doing

[pnwmom]

47. Hate to break it to you

but to much of the country, her slow midwestern style of speaking sounds perfectly normal
and Bernie's Brooklyn accent sounds harsh and grating.

[hedda_foil]

87. That's not it. I'm her age and from the same north suburban Chicago area.r

I'm from Highland Park and she is from Mount Prospect. So it's not about regional speech patterns or pronunciation. I know how she sounds normally from'08. This is obviously coached and practiced. It's not bad when speaking to a large outdoor crowd, but it's off.

[pnwmom]

95. If you're going to worry about cadence and pronunciation, you should start listening to Bernie's

speech patterns.

I don't think, by comparison, Hillary's will put her at a disadvantage.

(I also don't think their voices will be a big factor for either of them.)

[DCBob]

66. I heard her today and she sounded fine to me.

Not sure what you are talking about. This is like those criticizing Bernie's hair.

[mcar]

73. Because of course

Sen. Sanders' supporters only ever discuss policy points on DU.

[merrily]

85. Hillary supporters on this board do the same things Sanders' supporters do.

[livetohike]

88. I liked it . Spell it out nice and slowly. Let it sink in.

One has to speak deliberately, otherwise one will sound like the word salad Queen of Meth.

[Kalidurga]

90. Meh

I am not paying attention to Hillary. I will read transcripts when they are available or read what people have written about her speeches. She just isn't an interesting candidate to me whether she speaks slowly or not.

[A HERETIC I AM]

91. Anyone who has been on TV or done public speaking to large groups will tell you....

That you have to slow down your pace.

The rate at which words come out of your mouth in normal conversation do not translate well when speaking into a microphone/loudspeaker system or on TV.

If you listen carefully to any professional newscaster, you'll notice they are speaking somewhat slower than you or I would if we were face to face. They also put emphasis in places you wouldn't.

She may just be overdoing it a tad, that's all.

[Nite Owl]

103. I've noticed it too

she seems to be reading a lot, looking down. Someone in her campaign should tell her because it makes it seem like she isn't sure of what to say.

[NanceGreggs]

106. Always amusing to see ...

... the "it's about the issues" people weighing-in on enunciation and cadence, teleprompters, slooooow speaking, being "coached" to sound authoritative, etc.

Those important "issues" are right up there with pantsuits, unruly hair, campaign logos, NY accents, etc.

I don't know about everyone else - but the issues be damned! I'm voting for the candidate who doesn't speak toooo slow, or toooo fast, but just right - ya know, the tried-and-true Goldilocks strategy.

In the case of my not being able to choose between two candidates based on speech-delivery, their choice of suitable footwear and pizza toppings will serve as tie-breakers.

[Fumesucker]

114. I think maybe you understand where some of us are coming from more than you let on

The more hopeless I feel the more I tend to snark.

[Man from Pickens]

116. In this case it is actually highly relevant

There's no other candidate that has a long list of six-figure paid engagements for speaking, and she's clearly not a very good speaker.

So what exactly has she been getting compensated so richly for? Why are the speaking fees for a poor orator so extreme?

If you have an explanation other than "plain as day bribery" I'd love to hear it.

[R B Garr]

121. omg, lol, everyone knows who Hillary is, so they know her voice. They

are not engaging her for her voice, lol. She's Hillary Clinton, former First Lady and Secretary of State. It's not like she's jumping out of a cake.

[Buns_of_Fire]

140. Jumping out of a cake. Hmmm.....

Nah, it's too early in the cycle for that. Perhaps later in the year, as things firm up. I hope that the campaign is aware that it's customary to put the person in the cake AFTER its been baked.

It would be a dangerous path to take, though. The next candidate would then have to use a rocket belt for their next appearance, and then one would have to leap off a diving board into a wading pool half-filled with water, and eventually one of somebody's staff will say "You know, I saw something on Happy Days once where Fonzie..."

[NanceGreggs]

122. If Hill was consistently paid ...

... the big bucks for speaking to empty seats, you'd have a point. But she isn't - and you don't.

Speaking fees are based on a speaker's ability to draw the crowd necessary to cover expenses and turn a profit for the organizer of such events. Apparently HRC has been able to do so.

It is no different than how a concert promoter works; if you book Band ABC for $200,000 and can sell $300,000 worth of tickets, you can cover your expenses and make a profit. I can say that "Band ABC are clearly not very good musicians" - but my opinion doesn't matter if they put asses in seats, does it?

"There's no other candidate that has a long list of six-figure paid engagements for speaking ..."

Is that somehow Hillary's fault? Or is it simply a matter of her being a "draw" and the others not being a draw?

"So what exactly has she been getting compensated so richly for?" I just told you - she makes money for the organizations that pay her to speak. Is that clear enough for you?

"If you have an explanation other than "plain as day bribery" I'd love to hear it." Well, I used to work in the music biz - and a LOT of bands demanded six-figures for performing. And they were paid it, and they made the promoters a profit. If you want to categorize that as "bribery", go right ahead.

[Man from Pickens]

127. Apples and oranges

Bands get paid because they sold tickets and made money for the promoters. They get paid because they help to sell tickets.

So the question is: what did Hillary do to help the promoters of those speeches make money? What did they get in return?

[NanceGreggs]

129. They made money.

Same as band promoters. Her fees were less than the money taken in - i.e. they made a profit. Having a popular political figure such as HRC also generates positive publicity for the university/organization that hosts her appearances.

"Bands get paid because they sold tickets and made money for the promoters. They get paid because they help to sell tickets."

Precisely - now you're catching on. Hillary gets paid because she sells tickets and makes money for the promoters. Same thing.

If you have some evidence of Hill consistently being paid six-figures for speaking engagements that fizzled and lost money, please post said evidence.

[Man from Pickens]

132. Excuse me while I inject some common sense here

Bands that get paid hundreds of thousands fill stadiums to get that money. They don't get that money from a theater-sized performance because you simply can't sell enough tickets in that small a space.

If you can find one single example of a Hillary speech turning a profit on ticket/concession sales like a band does, let's see it. I don't know of any venue she (or any other politician) has performed in that is large enough to sell enough tickets to cover a $200,000 payday.

Since it's your claim that she's actually a profitable performer, the onus is on you to show some data to back that claim up. If you can find me one single event that she's ever done, where there were enough in ticket sales (and let's throw in concessions as well to help her out here), I will be astonished. (edit: previously said "withdraw my complaint", but upon reflection of $400,000 paid by Goldman Sachs for two speeches to which they certainly did not sell any tickets, I could not withdraw it in good conscience on the revelation of one profitable event alone)

If you can't find any such example then you must admit the concept of HRC's speeches as profitable events in and of themselves is simply wrong.

At which point we are back to looking for an explanation of the paydays for these speeches that can stand up to at least a little critical inspection - other than that they are acts of bribery.

[NanceGreggs]

133. Uh, no, sweetums ...

... that's not the way it works.

It is YOUR contention that HRC doesn't make a profit for her promoters; ergo, it is up to YOU to provide the evidence thereof.

And let me make it even easier for you ...

Do you really think that if Hillary was consistently charging fees that DIDN'T pay off for the promoters of her speaking events, that fact wouldn't be ALL OVER the "librul" MSM news? Do you honestly think YOU uncovered an easily-verifiable "fact" that FOX-News - with all of its money, and all of its operatives - somehow "missed"?

Do you really believe that if HRC was rakin'-in the big bucks, while promoters were losing their shirts, that fact WOULDN'T be headline news in every RW-controlled publication, every GOP website, every Republican magazine?

Do you honestly believe that EVERY Republican simply "forgot" to look into this, and missed the story of a lifetime?

I know the GOP tends to be dumb - but they're not THAT dumb. You can be damned sure that if there was a story here, that story would have been headline news long before now.

Hard to imagine that in all the years the GOP has been digging up every possible piece of dirt on Hillary Clinton, no one ever, ever, EVER looked into whether her speaking fees were a complete loss for those who have paid them.

But, hey, if you can come up with the evidence that proves your theory, you will have hit paydirt. So get Googlin' and report back with your incredible "finds" that no one else was smart enough to uncover!

[Man from Pickens]

134. It IS all over the news

> It is YOUR contention that HRC doesn't make a profit for her promoters; ergo, it is up to YOU to provide the evidence thereof.

That's not how it works. Nobody ever claimed that these speeches did make a profit for their promoters until you just now made that claim. That's a brand new claim that not even her campaign has made. So you need to back that up with at least one example to show it is a plausible assertion.

As far as speeches which didn't make money for their promoters (outside the bribery angle) I gave you one - two Goldman Sachs speeches, $400,000 changed hands, not a single ticket sold. What did Goldman Sachs get for their money?

Here's the death knell for your argument: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hillary-clinton-was-paid-millions-by-tech-industry-for-speeches/2015/05/18/f149d598-fd86-11e4-805c-c3f407e5a9e9_story.html

Most of Clinton’s paid speeches were closed to the public and the press.

Closed to the public. No tickets sold. Got paid $200k a pop anyway. Explain that one please.


>Do you really think that if Hillary was consistently charging fees that DIDN'T pay off for the promoters of her speaking events, that fact wouldn't be ALL OVER the "librul" MSM news? Do you honestly think YOU uncovered an easily-verifiable "fact" that FOX-News - with all of its money, and all of its operatives - somehow "missed"?

Nobody missed it, except perhaps her loyalists. http://www.google.com/search?q=clinton+paid+speech This is all hanging out there waiting for the rest of the shoe closet to drop. Do you think that I'm the only one who questions the propriety of these events?

These unanswered questions are a minefield of campaign-killing risks. God help us if we don't vet this candidate properly and this all comes out post-nomination.

>I know the GOP tends to be dumb - but they're not THAT dumb. You can be damned sure that if there was a story here, that story would have been headline news long before now.

>Hard to imagine that in all the years the GOP has been digging up every possible piece of dirt on Hillary Clinton, no one ever, ever, EVER looked into whether her speaking fees were a complete loss for those who have paid them.

Why would they dump the info now, when they can save it until after the nomination, and do so much more damage when it's too late to replace our candidate? You don't need to be von Clauswitz to figure out that strategy - it's tried and true.

[NanceGreggs]

135. Sorry, but ...

... neither of your links say anything about HRC's speaking engagements losing money.

But thanks for playing.

[Man from Pickens]

136. Come now

You are now relying on an assumption that events to which no tickets were sold were money-making ventures.

How did Goldman Sachs recoup its $400k then? How did any of those other hosts who sold no tickets make their money back?

Seriously, if you know of any way to lawfully make hundreds of thousands of dollars from an event where nobody buys any tickets, please tell me. Or heck, keep the secret and go make yourself rich and I will accept your newfound riches as evidence that you can indeed make money on events without having any actual customers.

[NanceGreggs]

137. Go back to the beginning ...

... of our exchange.

You talked about speaking fees that couldn't have made any money for their promoters.

You didn't say anything about events to which no tickets were sold - obviously an afterthought.

WHY did THIS just occur to you now?

Again, I don't know why you're wasting time here when you can be gathering proof that HRC gets speaking fees that are actually bribes. I understand the folks at FOX-News pay BIG BUCKS for this kind of "solid info".

Maybe you should contact them and cash in?

[Man from Pickens]

141. This is all public info

I didn't come up with this on my own and I'm not working off insider info. This is all from news that has been published. I gave you the link to Google News that demonstrates that - there are PLENTY of questions and stories out there on the topic.

It needs to be addressed directly. CGI + CF + the speech circuit leading to the unprecedented personal enrichment of the Clintons gives the strong appearance of industrial-scale bribery.

After several attempts, you have been completely unable to come up with a plausible explanation for what quo is being provided for the incredible amounts of quid being forked over. Going back to the beginning of this cycle is not a path to getting an answer to that question.

I guess I shouldn't be terribly surprised - after all, if HRC supporters could see clear conflict of interests for what they are, they wouldn't be HRC supporters.

[LanternWaste]

142. Your bias

"If you have an explanation other than "plain as day bribery" I'd love to hear it."

Your bias. More often than not, it's simply our bias that denies us the ability to see valid, obvious explanations to a buffoonish premise.

[Man from Pickens]

143. oooh you know a valid, obvious explanation??

Please do tell. It seems that supplying said explanation is an incredibly difficult task, so my hat's off to you if you can pull it off.

Ears open!