By Cydney Mavian
On Tuesday evening, President Barack Obama gave a publicly televised address about the Gulf Coast oil spill catastrophe. The speech, which was given from the Oval Office, had been long overdue and highly anticipated by the American people.
Did Obama give the people what they have been waiting for? Did the speech invoke passion, enthusiasm, and an uncontrollable willpower to kick the ass of BP in the American people?
If anything, the speech made it easier for the viewers to fall asleep that night. All in all, the address ended up being a disappointment. From the demeanor of the lecturer to the topics covered, this was not a homerun.
One problem with the speech was the way in which it was delivered. There were some very inspirational lines that were lost in translation somewhere between the teleprompter and the mouth of the president.
For instance, when Obama said “make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damaged their company has caused.”
These lines should have made the American people jump off of their couches and cheer with spirit and support. Instead, the Obama’s lack of fervor resonated with his viewers, and made me doubt his abilities as the president.
When the time comes for a crisis like this one to be addressed, the person giving the speech needs to be passionate, enthusiastic, and intense. Obama was the opposite. He sounded tired, frustrated, and defeated.
This is demonstrated when Obama compares the oil spill to an epidemic, “one that we will be fighting for months and even years.” I commend the president for speaking honestly and realistically, but America needs to be presented with some optimism, especially at a time like this.
We needed an inspirational pep talk from our coach in the locker room at half time, not a eulogy of the damage already done from a Debbie Downer.
The first half of the address was dedicated to the oil spill catastrophe and that was great, sort of. Then Obama switched directions and turned the speech into a wake up call to Americans about our energy consumption and made a vague call to some kind of new energy policy.
This change in topic is the second problem with the speech. We get it, we need a new energy plan, but can we please focus on the millions of gallons of oil leaking in the Gulf Coast, please?
Americans tuned into the address to listen to the president blame BP and share with us what he plans to do to make the company pay. Unfortunately, it was the American people that also got attacked during the address.
Instead of Obama concentrating on the damage that BP has caused, he went off on a tangent about “America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels.” As if it is not bad enough that America is already being bullied for its food addiction, our president goes ahead and calls us fossil fuel addicts?
It may be true that our nation is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, but do not kick us while we are already down. We have been struggling for two months from this oil spill and we want to hear about how we’re going to punish BP, not how we’re going to get punished by our president.
Obama’s Oval Office speech should have been a call to arms, full of passion and hope. Although it did not contain this type of tone and demeanor, the speech did have some strengths.
For example, Obama plans to make BP “set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of” the company’s irresponsibility.
Conversely, the speech contained weaknesses, just as when Obama talked about the poor energy consumption habits of America. Additionally, the president’s disposition while delivering the speech was dull and somewhat hopeless.
By the end of the speech, I had more concerns about solving this oil spill than I did before the speech. I do not know how the rest of the United States feels about the president’s address, but I was left disappointed and frustrated.
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