In order to get me to hear you, first you have to get me to listen to you. And I can't think of a politician in my lifetime who's been able to do that -- aside from Ronald Reagan, who was president before I was old enough to vote. And I only listened to him because he reminded me so much of my grandfather. Even now, when I run across old video clips of Reagan speaking, I still stop and drink him in -- not for his presidential demeanor, but for his startling similarity to Granddad.
As an adult, I haven't been able to get invested in any of the political goings-on, because even world leaders everyone else described as charismatic really lacked any "pull' to me. (Well, I could listen to Tony Blair talk all day, but that's really all about the accent.)
So while I grew up in a conservative household and probably lean more toward the conservative side than the liberal, I salute President Obama for capturing my attention. Eight times out of 10 since he took office, he's succeeded in getting me to HEAR him, even if I don't necessarily agree with what he's saying. Ironically, I owe this unfamiliar phenomenon probably more likely to Jon Favreau -- his immensely talented 27-year-old speechwriter -- and Brian Williams -- the NBC news anchor who went behind the scenes at the White House this week -- than to the president himself, but whatever the reason, he's got me interested in hearing what he has to say.
And for a 36-year-old who has never found politics to be at all relevant to her daily life, that's pretty remarkable.
As an adult, I haven't been able to get invested in any of the political goings-on, because even world leaders everyone else described as charismatic really lacked any "pull' to me. (Well, I could listen to Tony Blair talk all day, but that's really all about the accent.)
So while I grew up in a conservative household and probably lean more toward the conservative side than the liberal, I salute President Obama for capturing my attention. Eight times out of 10 since he took office, he's succeeded in getting me to HEAR him, even if I don't necessarily agree with what he's saying. Ironically, I owe this unfamiliar phenomenon probably more likely to Jon Favreau -- his immensely talented 27-year-old speechwriter -- and Brian Williams -- the NBC news anchor who went behind the scenes at the White House this week -- than to the president himself, but whatever the reason, he's got me interested in hearing what he has to say.
And for a 36-year-old who has never found politics to be at all relevant to her daily life, that's pretty remarkable.
1 comment:
I think he's awesome.
Post a Comment