straightUp Loc: California

Unlike Trump, Obama wasn't addressing the alt-right specifically. He was addressing the American people in general so he probably didn't think he would need to dumb things down.

Personally, I would rather have a president use the appropriate words to describe the issues, even if people think they're "fancy" and yes... even if I don't understand them myself because I would rather take the time as a citizen to learn what those "fancy" words mean so I can understand the issue better than to ask the president for sock puppets.

There is good reason for "fancy" words witless. It's a simple matter of resolution. More pixels on a screen produces a better picture. Likewise, more words to describe more specific things results in a more descriptive language. But you have to learn to use it and people are getting lazy. Instead of taking the effort to understand higher-resolution English, they want the president to cut the resolution down to simple words, resulting in simple pictures that they can understand without having to learn anything.

I can remember Bush Jr, addressing a student body when he was the sitting president and telling them that he himself was a C student. I'm sure it was meant as an inspiration but I really don't see this same appeal to mediocrity on the left. Just one of the many things that unfortunately creates this notion (wrong or right) that Trump supporters are simple-minded.

Rose42

In photography the pixels don’t matter as much as the sensor. Many are masters at saying nothing with big words as I found when I used to edit graduate theses papers for spelling. Its much easier to say nothing with ‘big’ words.

Some are lazy and others haven’t had the benefit of a good education. Plain speaking is a rare commodity in politics. Obama couldn’t and Trump has no filter.

MatthewlovesAyn Loc: Ohio

Hilarious. Even lefty media made fun of the fact that without a teleprompter, Obama was, to borrow a term, "speechless". Those "fancy" words were all written by other people! But I will give him one thing. He can read. It's kinda like saying you are the greatest writer of all time because you can read a Shakespeare play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHUsRTYFAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThEAO0lt4Dw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXQTaWjMoFw

Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX

It should be arriving in my mailbox very soon!

straightUp Loc: California

Well, I wasn't referring to photography but even if I was, considering the sensor doesn't really change my point.


That all depends on how the 'big words' are being used. As I'm sure you know, students often use big words just to fill up a paper, so that's kind of a bad example.


That shouldn't matter. There are dictionaries all over the place, not just in schools.


Plain speaking is a disservice in politics because politics is not simple so it can't be described accurately in simple terms.

People need to step up instead of expecting politicians to dumb things down for them. This is what Andrew Yang means when he says "Make Americans Think Hard" (MATH). It's the idea that we can't expect our politicians to fix everything for us like the Trump fans seem to think. We as a nation need to wise up and take some responsibility.

Rose42

Wrong. What we need in politics is more plain speaking. You forget they work for US.

Its not about thinking government will fix things - thats what democrats push. People need to wise up all right. Neither party is operating in our best interests but their own.

Lt. Rob Polans ret.

Of course he would. Different, and he'd have to admit barry caused $22 trillion, more than any president before him. All wasn't his, only the bulk of it. He did absolutely NOTHING positive for the economy.

Alber

StraightUp
Obama actually spent less on new programs… What about Obamacare?

son of witless

You are wonderful. You just admitted that you didn't care if you didn't understand what Obama was saying because you liked how it sounded. It made you FEEL good about yourself. It likely made you feel smart. You were so proud that you v**ed for this super intelligent man who talked way above your head.

Actually I made a mistake in describing my impression of President Obama and his speeches. It was not really his use of big fancy sounding words I didn't know, that dismayed me. I mean, I have dictionaries and the internet, so I can look up them fancy words.

No it was his use of convoluted phrases, that seemed to go in circles. I would read the texts of his speeches and I could still not figure out what he was talking about. Okay, you might say, I am just not as smart as you Obama friends. Fine, then you guys should be able tell me WTF he said if I give you a quote from his material.

However, most of the time when I asked you super smart Obama v**ers just what this or that meant in his speech, I found out that guess what, you guys were no smarter than me.

Ah, but unlike you guys I could find someone who could t***slate ObamaSpeak into English. Charles Krauthammer once t***slated Obama's speech, I think it was about Obamacare, into English. In English you pick up all of the half t***hs and out right lies embedded in Obama's words.

straightUp Loc: California

Yes, they work for us (no, I do not forget that) But that doesn't mean we should expect them to wipe our behinds and it certainly doesn't mean they have to dumb down their language to suit those among us who can't be bothered to learn our language.


I think it is Rose. And I really don't see this on the left as much as I do on the right. Maybe it's just what I pick up on.


First lesson in wising up ;) ... Both parties are doing exactly what they are designed to do... serving the interests of the citizens. It just so happens that the citizens are divided and their interests conflict which leaves the parties serving the interests of different citizens with conflicting agendas. And before you get into the whole corporate influence thing, let me remind you that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations themselves are citizens.

And here's why it seems the corporations have an upper-hand in all this... Corporations have people who are willing to understand the complexities that challenge them and they don't ask their politicians to dumb things down for them.

The idea that the parties are not serving our best interests is what I would call "over-simplified" to the point of being untrue.

straightUp Loc: California

And you just proved your inability to comprehend plain English.

I said... "even if I don't understand them myself because I would rather take the time as a citizen to learn what those "fancy" words mean so I can understand the issue better"

Is seven the number of words you can read before you lose focus?

Have you ever thought that maybe THIS is reason why we think Trump supporters are simple-minded?

son of witless

Clarity, clarity, clarity. In my long life, I have found that when people do what Obama does they are usually deliberately confusing their marks before they screw them over. I would rather have Bush mangle the Queen's English or Listen to Trump's intentional exaggerations because you know what they mean.

I have studied Samuel Johnson the great 18th English century literary figure and sometimes he would use obscure language, but you could still grasp his meaning because he valued clarity above all else.

Obama deliberately uses imprecise language so that when his ideas fail he could always claim that he did not mean what you thought he said. Used car salesmen and crooked politicians do that.

straightUp Loc: California

In MY long life I have found that to be the exception rather than the rule. Maybe I'm just less prone to being fooled because when people try to fool me with big words I can usually see right through it.


LOL - I think it's far more likely that you THINK you know what they mean.


My bet is that you were simply more interested in what Samuel Johnson was saying so you took the effort to learn what he meant. I'm also betting that Obama rarely ever said anything you have any interest in hearing so instead of taking the time to understand, you just switch over to insulting him for using big words. You kind demonstrated this in your previous response to me.


I'm not going to say this technique isn't used in politics but I don't think it's an accurate caricature of Obama's communication to the public. I think in most cases he was just talking to the American people on an adult level.

emarine

I knew you were a birther byro buddy just too ashamed to admit it...

Michael Rich Loc: Lapine Oregon

And?