The scene of the crime at the Eisenhower Old Executive Office Building on Monday.
(Alex Brandon/AP)Photos (1 of 1)
Obama’s teleprompter hurls itself to an untimely end; the world reels
By Matthew Shaer | 07.14.09
At this point, we’re going to have to assume that all teleprompters lean to the right.
Either that, or Dubya left behind a litter of busted units for number 44 to enjoy. Here’s what we do know: it’s getting to look like “Final Destination 5: The Teleprompter Editon” around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
In March, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen mistakenly read the beginning of a St. Patrick’s Day speech from a teleprompter – a speech which was intended for Obama. The next month, in the midst of a major policy talk at the National Academy of Sciences, Obama watched as his teleprompter froze. (He handled the situation coolly, and managed to finish the speech.)
Then in May, Vice President Joseph Biden’s teleprompter blew over during his graduation speech at the Air Force Academy, prompting Biden to crack a joke about his boss’s reliance on the gadget.
Not again
Yesterday, during an afternoon speech on urban policy, tragedy struck again: Obama’s teleprompter fell loudly to the ground, shattering into several pieces. (Evidence in photo above, and video below.)
“Oh my goodness,” Obama said, clearly a veteran of teleprompter calamity. “Sorry about that, guys.”
Reaction
Today, the Web was alive with news of the Teleprompter’s death, from write-ups in the Los Angeles Times to blog coverage in Newsweek. But don’t worry. According to the teleprompter’s “official” blog, the damage was not fatal:
Today, Big Guy and I were scrolling and speaking to an interest group that supported us, and during the middle of the speech, one of my screens collapsed. Turns out Felix didn’t tighten one of my screen’s bracket rods, and one of my screens collapsed. It was kind of embarrassing, and the accident looked alot worse than the may have seemed on video.
Get better soon, buddy.
—We’ll never break your teleprompter. So follow the Horizons team on Twitter @CSMHorizonsBlog.
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2. David Morgan | 07.14.09
Victor Borge interrupted one of his concerts with the announcement: “Steinway Piano Company wishes me to to announce that this is a Bechstein piano.”
Likewise, we need to know who manufactures these rogue teleprompters.
3. David Morgan | 07.14.09
Victor Borge interrupted one of his concerts with the announcement: “Steinway Piano Company wishes me to to announce that this is a Bechstein piano.”
Likewise, we need to know who manufactures these rogue teleprompters.
5. S. Sandlin | 07.14.09
There was a day when our Presidents not only wrote their own speeches, but knew them by heart or well enough to not have to be cued. Face it: gadgets of all sizes and use are running the country!
6. Patrick | 07.14.09
Oh… my, Rev. Og. This is supposed to be funny. It’s not an active attempt to undermine the president.
7. Cathy Cahoon | 07.14.09
Thanks! Things like this make things “back there” seem more of like the rest of us.
8. Blipette | 07.14.09
Geez, you guys. Anyone doing real presidency in these days needs what ever support he can get. This guy is dealing with crisis every moment of his day, and tons of people sitting on the edge of their seats seeing if he says it wrong, the media locking into it and then having to listen to it for days. Let the guy get on with his overwhelming job and vote for supporting anything that supports his efforts in making headway for gods sake.
9. Nobama | 07.14.09
The teleprompter could not stand up to all that hot wind blowing out of Nobama’s mouth.
10. Michael | 07.14.09
This will excite the tin foil hat GOP’ers. The teleprompter meme has been one of the things they bleat over and over to try to show Obama is really just as dumb as Sarah Palin.
11. smc | 07.14.09
Satire. Gotta love it. BTW, Rev, this isn’t a news story. It’s a BLOG! It wasn’t intended to disparage POTUS. Just some joking around. And let’s be clear, he uses them ALL the time. MUCH more than any previous POTUS. No need to bust on GWB. Now THAT is mean spirited! Face it, Obama is a Teleprompter guy. I sometimes wonder if he uses them when he says good night to his kids! JUST KIDDING!!! He’s a smart guy. My guess is that he doesn’t want to blow it when speaking (not much grace anymore). To be quite honest, Clinton was probably the best orator we’ve had in close to a century. That guy was gifted at speaking, gotta admit it (and I’m an “R”!).
Anyway, lighten up. Not every joke is meant to bring the man down!
PEACE
12. Goatherder | 07.14.09
Og, Blipette… Calm down, guys. The only ones attacking Obama here so far are Sandlin and Nobama. Can’t see how anyone would take someone calling himself “Nobama” seriously.
I’d also point out to Sandlin that note cards have been around for quite a while, and that back then, all a president’s speeches weren’t recorded and broadcast around the US (And the world, for that matter).
13. nar | 07.14.09
I found it instructive that BHO didn’t skip a beat when his TP collapsed. He just kept right on truckin with his speech (which indicates he actually knew the material).
Gee, it’s nice to have a POTUS who can actually THINK, again!
14. nar | 07.14.09
I found it instructive that BHO didn’t skip a beat when his TP collapsed. He just kept right on truckin with his speech (which indicates he actually knew the material).
Gee, it’s nice to have a POTUS who can actually THINK, again!
15. Megan Fox | 07.15.09
Haha. Just hilarious. Teleprompters or not, Obama is a great speech giver. His reliance on just shows you his emphasis on delivering precise messages. As long as his speech writer ain’t broken, I ain’t complaining!
16. Mitch | 07.15.09
Gee whiz Rev Og, thats not a very christlike post. Very unreverendish if you ask me.
17. Apalled | 07.15.09
I am so glad that we have a president that knows how to read aloud.
RIP TOTUS
18. Jade | 07.15.09
This is a joke, I thought there was something to this….it’s a teleprompter that falls over mid speech. Who Cares! This is just another way the media has elected to show how desperate they are for some scraps. Please, do your jobs, report the facts - JUST the facts. Don’t massage it, don’t twist it, and please accept that some of us still have a brain and are interested strictly in the welfare of our great land.
19. Patrick | 07.15.09
While I think there’s some overreaction to this, being a satire piece in a blog, it’s a little bit understandable. This ’story’ appears in the ‘latest stories’, “Inside the Monitor”, sidebar on the left of the front page, along side the MN kids fighting in Somalia and a jet crash.
The Monitor could do a better job separating out satire and light-hearted pieces like this. They may want to cordon off the blogs in general, away from the hard and traditional news.
20. Kathryn | 07.15.09
The You tube video of Obama’s Greatest Speech is hilarious, I love the man, he is so literate, so thoughtful, so articulate and yet…. that video is just funny. It IS a joke, that’s all, itsajoke!! Please accept that some of us still have a brain and can still enjoy a good chuckle over morning coffee.
21. Bruce W. | 07.15.09
Something my Eastern European immigrant parents always reminded me is to appreciate that in this country you have the right/freedom to criticize and ridicule a sitting president without fear. But I’m concerned that that is less true now. The same folks complaining most about this wonderful practice, where Obama is concerned, are probably the ones who did so with unabashed delight (and less class) in the case of W. Lighten up. He can take the heat, why can’t you? Flex the First Amendment.
22. Will | 07.15.09
In case you guys are ignorant, this article is supposed to be humorous, not start a political war, and politicians have used telepromters for years and years. notice how obama has to speak almost everyday now. think he can remember every one of his speeches word for word? it’s no OMG thing that presidents have speech writers. that stretches all the way back to the early presidents. whats different with obama?
23. tanaS | 07.15.09
It seems the real moron might be the guy with a photographic memory, but short on true intelligence. JFK did not rely on speeches written by others unless he gave a formal address like an State of the Union Speech. The young fella in the WH is an example of the Peter Principle.
24. Hugh Hefner | 07.16.09
“…vote for supporting anything that supports his efforts in making headway for gods sake.”- Blipette
His stimulus packages were an absoloute faliure. His Cap and Trade bill is a joke( If it passes one of the effects will be that all houses will have to be refitted to meat a certain green standard. Is that really gonna help the housing market?),and he calls himself a christian yet he promotes abortion and stem cell research? He also has certain communist tendencies such as buying the automobile industry and wanting the government to control our health care. Why should I vote for anything that supports his efforts in making “headway”
25. Kamal Jeet Singh (Sumeet) | 07.16.09
I love Mr Obama and I wish that this is a joke shown all over the world. But if this has really happened isn’t if a message from God or Universe. we all may interprete it differently but one thing is clear that there is somebody who is above all of us and who sees everything. so we must love everybody and never do anything which hurs anybody.
Kamal Jeet Singh (Sumeet)
26. Firetruck | 07.16.09
YO Rev. Og Oggilby - Chill out man! Don’t be soooooooo sensitive. Face up to the fact that it was funny and even us Righties deserve a laugh once in a while. You all thought it was funny when W was ducking the shoe thrower in Iraq but we can’t laugh a little when a teleprompter falls over? By the way the shoe thrower I think got life in prison. Wonder what will happen to TOTUS?
27. Patrick | 07.16.09
Oh… my, Rev. Og. This is supposed to be funny. It’s not an active attempt to undermine the president.
Forgot to say excellent post! Can’t wait to seeing your next one!
29. Dana Roth | 07.17.09
Isn’t this more likely due to the quantum leap in communication coming from the president?
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1. Rev. Og Oggilby | 07.14.09
WHY AND HOW is this to be considered “news”?????????? Btw to all the ignorant morons ALL politicians use them and have for decades especially W but he can’t read as we all know now.