Is the teleprompter Obama's safety net?
It seems like President Obama doesn’t go anywhere without his trusty
teleprompter. The textbook-sized panes of acrylic or glass bearing the
President’s prepared remarks appear to follow him wherever he gives a
speech. Obama's teleprompters sit on top of a telescoping stand and
flank his podium at every speech, whether it be at a factory in
Indiana, the Department of Transportation, or in the Capitol Rotunda.
President Obama’s reliance on a teleprompter is abnormal, and not just
because he is well-known for his oratory skills, but also because none
of the previous Presidents used one so often and consistently. President
Obama's teleprompter even makes the jobs of the photographers and TV
crews trying to capture his image a bit tough, as at most speeches it
stands right in front of his face.
After his teleprompter malfunctioned a handful of times over the summer
and President Obama delivered some not-so-great speeches, the word was
that he was going to stop using a teleprompter so much; but that has yet
to materialize.
“It’s just something Presidents haven’t done,” says presidential
historian Martha Joynt Kumar. “It’s jarring to the eye. In a way, it
stands in the middle between the audience and the President because his
eye is on the teleprompter.”
The teleprompter was really brought front and center during President
Obama's announcement for Commerce Secretary and during his announcement
for his Health and Human Services Secretary. On both occasions, the
speeches were temporarily derailed or delayed due to the teleprompter.
The President has used his teleprompter for even the shortest speeches
and announcements, and even when going over his economic stimulus plan,
reciting the same lines that he's been saying for several
months. Previous Presidents, on the other hand, have mostly just used
notes except during major speeches, like the State of the Union.
So what does this say about President Obama? Does it mean that he's playing it safe and merely using his teleprompter as a safety net? Or is it something more nefarious, as many right-wing talk show hosts have suggested? Every President has a retinue of "handlers" surrounding them at all time, and President Obama is no different. The White House meetings with the President, David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, and others have already become legendary; chances are, the teleprompter is a result of meetings such as these. Obama's handlers don't want him going "off message," and have taken precautions to that effect.
But what about the President? How does he feel about this? His oratory skills are exemplary - does he really need a teleprompter? I guess there's no way of knowing, barring a reporter that is brave enough to stand up and ask, but I'd like to think that the President is not just a mouthpiece for his handlers and advisors. If that truly is the case, it must be that President Obama, for some unknown reason, believes that the teleprompter is now necessary - no matter how small or short the speech or announcement.