ARE WE PUSHING THE CANDIDATES TOO HARD?
The Candidates look tired. Maybe we're working them too much, afterall.
But, the benefits are showing. Parts of the message are sharper, more refined ... more convincing.
I didn't get to hear any Obama Townhalls from N.H., but he seems to be doing much better wonking away with unscripted Q&A sessions than the last one I saw a bit of (maybe six months ago, now?)?
RUNNING A TOWNHALL MEETING
Bill Clinton, of course, mastered that Townhall format and he's still the best, better even than Hillary. Rhetorically, he's uses repetition in his little "policy segments", repeating phrases that help the listener, making it easier to follow a line of argument. He has various ways of creating tension with the audience, of leaving long pauses, in which the audience waits for the resolution. Conceptually, Bill does a lot of compare-contrast, often rehearsing opposing viewpoints, in order to debunk them.
All of these things, I think Barack could master. Hillary... well, she needs to learn how to tell a joke, first, right? Her strengths in Q&A are an ability to connect, using a number of techniques (including mastery of a lot of "technical lingo", topic-specific "ingroup language), and her amazing lawyer-like ability to pull up details, of all sorts.
IN THE FOOTNOTES
Two other comments on Parma:
- 1. I think BO might have flubbed the description of the unitary executive theory, ... it wasn't critical to what he said at all, but you know the little gnomes are all out for him, so badly, and they will focus on the context of the question...
- 2. He did seem to miss the nexus of immigration as it related directly to gay rights, preferring instead to make the larger point about fears and divisions ...
