The greatest speech in Modern American History

[Baron1710]

Originally Posted by notofworks

That was HORRIBLE!!! It's not even possible!!

Surely even the Bush supporters would have to agree that he was not , "The Great Communicator"!!

His only great "speech" moment was standing in the rubble of 9-11 with all the work crews with the megaphone when he said, "They'll hear from us soon." In the atmosphere of that moment, it gave me chills.

Nothing else he said, did!

I have said this before but I think a big part of the Bush failure when it came to communicating was on the part of his speech writers. They never seemed to get the way he communicated. When he felt something and spoke without their assistance he did fine. He will never be great at it but he could have done better.

The line from Reagan's speech, "tear down that wall" he put that in there. Then when it went to the State dept for review they took it out. It went back and forth it was never actually in the prepared remarks he was supposed to make. When the time came he threw it back in there.

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by John Atkinson

I agree whole heartedly. It was also nice being in the Military during his presidency. I must admit though that I voted for GB Sr in the 1980 Rep primary. Something that put some of my family all the way off, them being old school southern democrats. My mother told me my g-grandfather was probably spinning in the grave.

my first election was 1988. I was in the navy and so I served under RR and GHWB. Those were good days.

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by Baron1710

I have said this before but I think a big part of the Bush failure when it came to communicating was on the part of his speech writers. They never seemed to get the way he communicated. When he felt something and spoke without their assistance he did fine. He will never be great at it but he could have done better.

The line from Reagan's speech, "tear down that wall" he put that in there. Then when it went to the State dept for review they took it out. It went back and forth it was never actually in the prepared remarks he was supposed to make. When the time came he threw it back in there.

Two of my favorite Reagan quotes are:
"the closest thing to eternal life is a government bureaucracy"

and

"the scariest words in the English language are: I am from the government and I am here to help"

[notofworks]

Originally Posted by Ferd

I still love Dubyah warts and all! I have a book somebody gave me with Bushisms. they are too funny.

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning"?

I just laughed loud in my living room. And of course, "They misunderestimated me" is still a favorite. The amazing thing is, he said it SEVEN different times in speeches. Why didn't someone on his staff say, "Hey George.......".

And of course his shredding of the word "Nuclear."

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by Ferd

Two of my favorite Reagan quotes are:
"the closest thing to eternal life is a government bureaucracy"

and

"the scariest words in the English language are: I am from the government and I am here to help"

My favorite Reagan quote of all time, and I can only remember verbatim was concerning a bunch of leftist rioters in Brazil. He said, "If these people got the got the government they wanted, they would never be allowed to do what they are doing now".

[John Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Ferd

my first election was 1988. I was in the navy and so I served under RR and GHWB. Those were good days.

So I am guessing you didn't vote for Dukakis?

[Jermyn Davidson]

I can't remember one in particular, but I was really inspired by GWB's sincerity whenever he spoke. GWB spoke with clarity, sincerity and conviction-- at least that is how I remember his speeches in a general sense.

I don't usually think of his public speaking faux pas.



I can't think of any more moving speech than Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's, "I Have A Dream".

My favorite part of his speech is the part when he goes into, "Let freedom ring..."

I think the, "I Have A Dream" is the greatest speech in Modern American History in delivery and in effect.

[notofworks]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

I can't remember one in particular, but I was really inspired by GWB's sincerity whenever he spoke. GWB spoke with clarity, sincerity and conviction-- at least that is how I remember his speeches in a general sense.

I don't usually think of his public speaking faux pas.



I can't think of any more moving speech than Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's, "I Have A Dream".

My favorite part of his speech is the part when he goes into, "Let freedom ring..."

I think the, "I Have A Dream" is the greatest speech in Modern American History in delivery and in effect.

God HAD to be in that speech. I read "Black Like Me" in high school and was SO moved, I memorized a good part of the "Dream speech. The line that stood out to me the most was the "Four little children/content of their character" line.

And I agree...when he starts "Let freedom ring".....WOW.


"Let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

[Jermyn Davidson]

This thread propmted me to listen to his speech again this evening.

I agree that he was in the will of God in giving this speech.