Was SOTU address a made for TV drama or a political event? (use clear and specific details)
16 Comments
Claudia von Nostitz
1/25/2012 03:10:03 am
The SOTU address definitely appealed towards the media and resembled a “TV drama” more than a political event. President Obama is incredibly eloquent. He appeals to the emotions of his audience and addresses them with warmth and confidence. He uses the right amount of facts to give his address substance and meaning, while presenting the nation in a positive light.
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Ashley
1/27/2012 05:42:21 am
As much as we hope President Obama is giving us all the details about our current situation, I agree with Claudia, in that he is focusing on the future goals. As a persuasive speaker, Obama addresses the situation of our armed forces. No more Americans are on Iraq soil and troops from Afghanistan are coming home. This clearly deserves praise, as the US has been in the Iraq War for a good nine years. After two decades, Osama bin Laden has been caught. He opens his SOTU speech with this because he knows this is one of America’s main concerns at this time. He proceeds with more good news that America is being less dependant on energy from other countries.
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Vladimir Abkin
1/28/2012 01:48:20 am
The SOTU address does not depict the issues held crucial within the nation but simply addresses them in a vague interpretation. The SOTU address is mostly a drama related spectacle in which Obama manipulates the scenario to influence his own reputation towards reelection. He constantly repeats the notion of jobs, how education/ teachers are significant, new greener methods of energy, the triumphed of "hostilities" and the necessity of domestic manufacturing yet these aspects are vaguely described and show no relevance of how they are to be resolved. Obama keeps a stern, decisive character through out the crucial components of the speech, which could be a play out to fool the audience. The jokes that were supposed to amusing to the observer failed in my perspective. The SOTU address was conceived to further the popularity of Obama and addressed the issues of society in a weak, inferior way with no central resolution followed by an applause. He persuaded, but did not further his persuasion with facts/analyzed research on the current state of the nation, but with further future goals, goals that could only be achieved with reelection. It was certainly not a "media" performance but a wrongfully justified political event twisted with self interest.
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Susan
1/28/2012 11:02:19 am
As Claudia and Ashley have pointed out, President Obama delivered a speech that set a mood of hope and encouragement for the American people. Yet he did not succeed in informing the Americans of the actual state of the nation as much as he should have.
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Elsie Alvarez
1/29/2012 11:23:17 am
Obama’s SOTU address seemed to focus on giving the people want they wanted to hear rather than focusing on the issues. Obama talked about the returning troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and proposed tax cuts but it seemed that he focused on gaining the people’s hope and support. Like Susan mentioned, the first six minutes of the SOTU address showed Obama shaking hands and hugging people. This could be designed to show how Obama really cares and wants the best for country. Obama focused most of his speech talking about bringing back jobs to America and creating tax cuts for corporations who create jobs here in America. Obama seemed well prepared and ready to get down to business. Obama is determined to get America back on track and back to being number one in world but like he said he can’t do it all on his own. Obama used examples such as WW2 to show how a united America is a strong America. Again Obama’s SOTU address seemed more of a way to gain support by giving the public the things they wanted to hear like no more bailouts and handouts, to the troops overseas. Obama also touched on illegal immigration, natural gas, clean energy, and equal pay for women. Obama’s address may have come off as a TV drama but Obama looks ready to negotiate and do whatever it takes to fix the country. Obama has already started by creating agencies designed to make sure people or corporations don’t take advantage of others.
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Danisa Lee
1/29/2012 12:51:01 pm
I believe that the State of the Union address this year was partially TV Drama and a political event as well. As usual, President Obama is a strong speech-maker. Throughout the speech, it may seem as if it was all for TV Drama because of his hopeful tone and spread of nationalism. He starts off by showing pride in our soldiers and declaring that the United States is out of threat from Al Qaeda and other terrorists within Afghanistan. Obama also tries to gain public support by referring to specific Americans and showing his care and effort to improve their lives.
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Theresa
1/30/2012 06:46:40 am
Obama's State of the Union Address is both a TV Drama and political event. A State of the Union Address is an annual address that the President presents to Congress, stating the current conditions of the nation as well as the priorities and actions needed to be taken.
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Jillian R
1/30/2012 07:32:25 am
President Obama’s State of the Union address could certainly be seen as both a TV drama and a political event. I agree with Claudia, Ashley, and the others who stated that Obama had too much of a focus on future goals, and did not spend a large enough portion of his speech on the current state of the union.
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Anna Fong
1/30/2012 07:39:30 am
Considering that the State of the Union address was broadcasted at 9 on a tuesday night...I would say the address is in the form of a political drama. If I was Obama, I would view this address as almost a commercial for my 2012 campaign; It free air time and a lot of Americans will be tuning in. But I don't think the address was completely for tv drama or for Obama's reelection. The address serves its purpose of reassuring the American people even if half of the speech was other politicians clapping for him. So far everyone has mentioned that part of the drama comes from the momentum he's building with the applauses.
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Charlotte Juergens
1/30/2012 09:49:50 am
Obama's SOTU address is a political event. Yes, he hugs and greets people before the speech begins, but be fair guys-- that kind of thing goes on at EVERY major political to-do, from inaugurations to party conventions. The fact that he was appealing to the public for support (which was obviously one of his goals here) is not a bad thing, nor is it uncharacteristic of a political event. There are few events or actions in politics that have nothing to do with rhetoric and persuasion. Besides the pre-election publicity boost aspect of this address, Obama's speech stuck to the state of this union; he was (as Claudia said) eloquent, and presented the American public and Congress with hopeful and inspiring facts and figures. I didn't know half of the initiatives that were explained in the SOTU before, and I definitely feel a lot more knowledgeable about the way America stands now that I've watched it. I understand what people are saying about why they think it's more of a tv drama than a real political event, and I guess that all televised political events these days have some "tv drama"-esque aspects, but I would say this SOTU was mainly a political event.
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Raye Holab
1/30/2012 10:00:21 am
I don't think I would qualify the State of the Union as a "T.V. drama." To me, it felt more like an election campaign. I trust and respect President Obama, but I think he used the address as an opportunity to remind America how great he is. His speech seemed geared towards showing how his administration has gotten things done, how the problems in our government stem mainly from Congress, and how he will be the one trying to get things done in the future. He put major emphasis on passing legislation--how if Congress sends him certain laws, he will sign them immediately. I think he wanted to make it clear that if we don't see immediate change, it won't be his fault.
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Anna Blazer
1/30/2012 10:41:36 am
President Obama's State of the Union Address definitely is more for "TV drama" rather than a political event. Right from the beginning Obama mentions all of the positive changes he has made to the country- finding Osama Bin Ladin, getting almost all of the troops out of Iraq, etc. This is made to portray Obama in a good light, and make the media and American's applaud him for his work. But of course Obama would mention all of his wonderful achievements while all of America is watching. Especially because he is seeking reelection this year. This is a perfect example of how the president uses the bully pulpit to control the media and its opinion of him.
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KARA
1/30/2012 11:34:03 am
I Think it was all a fluke. Obama just wanted some publicity. He did not clearly talk about really anything he beats around the bush with jobs and going green but he doesn't really ever develop a plan. Like many people think here is he is a good speech maker. He wants to get everyone's hopes up and tell them what they want to hear. He knows were in a crisis were teachers are getting laid off left and right thats why he talks about it. Its like how we discussed in class this year how people say things the people want to hear to get relected or elected in politics and the presidency. They'll do anything to get what they want . like Anna said it IS a Tv drama how he mentions all the good things first the war thats been going on for ever and how troops are coming home. All i can say is it really is sad what people will do to be in top i mean he's not doing anything bad but he's not doing anything worth while either. That people had to make such a big deal about this any way. Ofcourse he is sending hope are way by telling us the accomplishments he made by getting a lot of the troops out but other then that i think he hasn't gotten as much as he could done if he wasn't so focused on making himself look good to the public.
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Leah Kimball
1/30/2012 12:11:05 pm
The SOTU address was geared toward the public and the media. Obama began his speach by pointing out the accomplishments he's made with Bin Ladin and removing troops from Iraq. That was a very wise thing to do. I agree very strongly with Claudia; Obama is very eloquent and knows exactly what to do to appeal to his audience. He effectively brought attention to the accomplishments he's made and the way the country has improved.
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Dannielle Coleman
1/30/2012 01:04:20 pm
I believe that Obama's State of the Union address was made for a political event. There was much applause at the beginning of it, but like Charlotte stated, that's how every poltical event goes. I do not see it as a tv drama, as I see that many individuals have great respect for him. He mentioned that no more Americans are fighting in Iraq, troops in Afghanistan are starting to return home, and Al Qaeda is defeated as well as Taliban is broken up. Also, he noted that since he's been in office, businesses have created more than 3 million more jobs. He plans to set up more inspections to limit corrupted trade into America, and wants every American to be taught several skills to lead to jobs. He also wants every state to require every student to remain in school until they reach the age of 18 and wants to keep immigrants in the country as they continue to do good for the country and allow them to get their citizenship. He promised to make 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade through the gas and oil industry, pass clean energy tax credits, and create a housing relief so people can save $3,000 on mortgages. I don't see anything wrong with this as he states his major goals for the rest of his term. This definitely sets the stage for his future campaign for reelection and i really hope he can fulfill all of these goals he promised America since there is a great amount of individuals against him.
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Asia Grant-Murray
1/31/2012 10:53:47 am
I believe that the state of the union address was sort of a speech to attract the attention of the media but also a way to address the issues that the nation has in a fancy way. I say this because although Obama was very interested in getting the crowds applause and standing ovations he also although most disagree pointing out the issues in outsourcing and unemployment.
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