President Barack Obama Talking Down To His Audience?

When he starts dropping his "g"'s and talking like an illiterate ghetto dweller or a rural African-American, should his manner of talking be reflected in the transcript? Maybe with a giant "sic" note.

Or should it be translated into the King's English?

Hilary also adopts this voice when talking to black audiences. If "W" did this when he spoke to the NAACP, do you think they would like it or resent him for using thier idioms, etc?

I personally don't think Obama's folksy talk works for him, he just doesn't have the hang of it like Warren Buffet does. JMO

He always seems to be that way to me, can't talk any lingo cool, he's just in between. campaigning and selling.

Besides Obama & Clinton, have you really never heard any other politicians (on either side of the aisle) do this? Listen to the debates closely from venue to venue and then listen to what they are saying on the streets to local reportes -vs- national reporters in the studios.

I don't think I would call it talking down. I drop my "g"s all the time and it really doesn't matter who I'm talkin' to.

BTW Bush and Palin both drop their "g"s and it is considered "folksy".
Perry's twang is way more pronounced when he speaks to a Texas audience. Go figure??

I can understand playing to the audience, but personally I am offended by it.

lol But I do have a unconscious habit of adopting the accent of the person I am talking to. Sometimes this has got me into trouble, people find it demeaning from me, but like it from politicians enough that they continue to do it.
"He sounds like one of us" right?

^^ WHY?

I want the guy down at the feed store to sound folksy. Not the President or a Presidential candidate.

I'd like to just hear their every day normal voice, no matter what kind of accent...anything else is just acting.

Photo-fish wrote: Besides Obama & Clinton, have you really never heard any other politicians (on either side of the aisle) do this? Listen to the debates closely from venue to venue and then listen to what they are saying on the streets to local reportes -vs- national reporters in the studios.

I don't think I would call it talking down. I drop my "g"s all the time and it really doesn't matter who I'm talkin' to.

BTW Bush and Palin both drop their "g"s and it is considered "folksy".
Perry's twang is way more pronounced when he speaks to a Texas audience. Go figure??

My wife, and I presume you as well given you're a Packer fan, is from Wisconsin. Whenever we travel back to her home state, I notice a strengthening of her northern accent while we are there. Her speech mannerisms and patterns remain the same, but the drawing out of the vowels does become more pronounced. I do think there is a difference in how anyone talks depending upon the company one is in at any given time. There are times when you can be yourself and times where you must be more formal. I think the Obama we saw addressing the CBC is the Obama being himself and the rest of the time we are seeing the formal version that Biden once referred to as the first mainstream African American who is articulate. I'm certainly not offended at the chance to glimpse Obama being himself and I hope he does it more often. There is nothing that will convince the independent voter that Obama is a far left ideologue quite like continued glimpses into Obama being himself.

PrintSmith wrote:

Photo-fish wrote: Besides Obama & Clinton, have you really never heard any other politicians (on either side of the aisle) do this? Listen to the debates closely from venue to venue and then listen to what they are saying on the streets to local reportes -vs- national reporters in the studios.

I don't think I would call it talking down. I drop my "g"s all the time and it really doesn't matter who I'm talkin' to.

BTW Bush and Palin both drop their "g"s and it is considered "folksy".
Perry's twang is way more pronounced when he speaks to a Texas audience. Go figure??

My wife, and I presume you as well given you're a Packer fan, is from Wisconsin. Whenever we travel back to her home state, I notice a strengthening of her northern accent while we are there. Her speech mannerisms and patterns remain the same, but the drawing out of the vowels does become more pronounced. I do think there is a difference in how anyone talks depending upon the company one is in at any given time. There are times when you can be yourself and times where you must be more formal. I think the Obama we saw addressing the CBC is the Obama being himself and the rest of the time we are seeing the formal version that Biden once referred to as the first mainstream African American who is articulate. I'm certainly not offended at the chance to glimpse Obama being himself and I hope he does it more often. There is nothing that will convince the independent voter that Obama is a far left ideologue quite like continued glimpses into Obama being himself.

Good point. Could be that this is the real Obama, or how he wants to talk? Like the community organizer he is proud of being. Does he put on white boy airs when he talks inside the beltway?