Many of life's richest blessings and I arrived on this world in the same blessed year:

assembly
language
biodegradable
capital-intensive
circadian
global village
happy hour
hard rock
integrated circuit
machine learning
nontenured
oral contraceptive
oral sex (!)
personal computer
psychoactive
spandex
virtual memory

counterproductive
cruise missile
Disneyfication
minivan
munchies
navel-gazing
sock puppet
virion (!)

Assembly and language were one thing, not two. Errors like that are why I could never handle assembly language.

• Wedding video.

• Teevee in the classrooms always seemed like a waste of time. 2020's telecom-in-ed crisis is infinitely more destructive.

• This story is tragic and corrupt, but Kaus is right, it's also kind of funny. (Alas, we oughtn't presume that "late-stage meritocracy" will be replaced by anything better. The parents in this article, like Trump voters they despise, aren't going to go away.)

• Yesterday twitter had all the really dark and cynical Toobin jokes, and I thought that's enough of that, the guy will never live it down. But this morning came a whole new series of dark and cynical jokes, and it seemed totally cool. Iowahawk's tweet suggests Toobin is a guy who could feel tremendous embarrassment, but who's probably incapable of shame.

• Can someone explain how four years of his idiocies have improved discourse the United States?

• Toobin

Can someone explain how four years of his idiocies have improved discourse the United States? ~ Crid at October 20, 2020 9:14 AM

Our political discourse has been hovering ">around the sixth grade level for years, now. It's likely a result of the overall dumbing down of American education. Speaking to the voters requires you speak at their level.

Sadly, I don't think it's going to get better any time soon; especially since the references and vocabularies that indicate a higher level education are no longer taught.

Presidents used to hire speechwriters to make them sound smart. Now, they hire speechwriters to help them rile up the base.

Ted Sorenson, Peggy Noonan, and, to a lesser extent, Jon Favreau (no, the other Jon Favreau) crafted speeches and phrases that elevated their presidents and defined the eras in which they held office. Neither Biden nor Trump have yet found a speechwriter who can make them sound better than they are.

Trump's formal speeches are getting better, but his informal ones destroy any credibility built by the formal ones. Biden's informal speeches reveal his mental decline and his formal ones are halting affairs as he loses his place on the teleprompter and ad libs 'til he finds it again.

> Neither Biden nor Trump have
> yet found a speechwriter who
> can make them sound better
> than they are.

Well, now, IIRC Biden had pretty good luck with Labour bloke a few years back.

And to be clear, Trump never bothered to interview anyone for the work.

(More later)

Biden Will Make America Lead Again
By William McRaven

'We need a president with decency and a sense of respect.'

~WSJ Opinion page

Mr hair sniffer and nude swimmer?

As for Peggy, have you read anything she published in the last two decades? She isn't quite as bad as the blind Alan Blinder, but that isn't saying much.

This just shows how little we share culturally. I don't care if the president tells pretty lies. I would just like fewer lies. Appearances don't factor into it.

Well, now, IIRC Biden had pretty good luck with Labour bloke a few years back. ~ Crid at October 20, 2020 10:57 AM

Even words stolen from Neil Kinnock cannot make Biden sound better than he really is.

========================================

And to be clear, Trump never bothered to interview anyone for the work. ~ Crid at October 20, 2020 10:57 AM

True. I'm willing to bet that, like Obama, he believes he's a better speechwriter than his speechwriters.

"I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m going to think I’m a better political director than my political director." ~ Barack Obama to Patrick Gaspard

========================================

As for Peggy, have you read anything she published in the last two decades? She isn't quite as bad as the blind Alan Blinder, but that isn't saying much. ~ Ben at October 20, 2020 11:01 AM

I didn't say I agree with Peggy's own opinions. Her speechwriting for Reagan and Bush, however, was top-notch. Reagan's "Pont du Hoc" speech and the eulogy for the Challenger astronauts, as well as Bush's "thousand points of light," all came from her pen.

But that is my point Conan. I don't care if it is pretty. I care if it is functional.

This is actually the main complaint from NeverTrumpers, that Trump isn't pretty. And their resulting behavior is why they won't have any impact on the Republican Party for several generations.

But that is my point Conan. I don't care if it is pretty. I care if it is functional. ~ Ben at October 20, 2020 1:09 PM

A good speech is functional. A good speech is a tool used by a politician to seize and wield power.

Language is not just how we express ideas, it shapes how we develop them and mold them. A president who speaks consistently at a sixth grade level thinks at a sixth grade level. One who speaks at higher grade level likely thinks at a higher level.

A good speech can address many audiences at once, like Kipling urged, "If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, / Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch."

Churchill was criticized by his compatriots in Parliament for his blunt speaking style, but the commoners found in his bravado a sense of assurance and hope. No one would accuse Sir Winston of being unable to speak above a sixth-grade level. With his carefully-crafted speeches, he was able to rally the British to do something to which the other major political figures strenuously objected, to fight on against the Germans.

Trump's speeches vary widely. His formal speeches are good and serious, although I don't find his speaking style to be as effective as Obama's, Reagan's, or even Bush's. Trump's off-the-cuff speaking is usually his lesser speechifying, delivered at a much lower grade level and tending to be much less effective at reaching and motivating an audience. Those are the speeches and remarks that tend to get him into trouble, providing his political enemies with ammunition - e.g., "very fine people on both sides" or "stand down and stand by."

A lot of that is Trump's political inexperience. Reagan used to put his hand to his ear and pretend he couldn't hear the question when he didn't have prepared remarks. Years of being a union boss and governor had taught him to speak in measured tones and not stray into unscripted territory.

Trump believes he can relate to the commoners and so is willing to speak extemporaneously; often with half-thought-out remarks that are subject to hostile interpretation or blatant manipulation by his opponents. He speeches are not the functional weapons that those of past presidents have been.

No Conan. Function is more important than appearance. Failing while 'looking good' is worthless. Bush was a failure. A pretty failure but a failure none the less. I agree that Trump is not pretty. Cruz is also not pretty. But they were the only two options for what I want.

Pretty is nice but without utility it is worthless.

And as for Trump being taken out of context, welcome to the Republican Party for the last 50 years. Bush was constantly taken out of context. More care makes no difference. Remember 'Mission Accomplished'?

There is another major issue you are missing here Conan. There are roughly 80 million people of voting age under 40 in the US today. Roughly half of the voting population. And none of them believe you. Not just you. They don't believe anyone.

Call it the Hillary problem if you want. But the issue doesn't just impact Hillary Clinton. Though she is a great example of it. When Hillary gave a speech it didn't really matter what she said. No one believed a word of it. Supporters changed what she said into what they wanted to hear. Opponents changed it into what they feared. But at the end of the day no one actually listened to Hillary. Good speech, bad speech, it didn't really matter. Her words were worthless. Honestly she could have burped her ABCs to the same effect. Without credibility her words are just sounds, meaningless.

For Millennials and those younger Hillary isn't unique. She is normal. Millennials lie all the time. They expect everyone else does too. Because everyone has. Lies are normal. Talk to your ANTIFA thug throwing Molotov cocktails while looting and he will tell you all about the NAZI fascist yada yada yada trendy bullcrap. Get his trust and he will admit those are just words. He wants to get laid and have some fun. Period. End of story. The fascism stuff is just what you say. Boilerplate. It means nothing. Poll a stranger on who they are intending to vote for and they will tell you what they think you want to hear. Better to lie to you than get in a fight.

The world you grew up in is dead Conan. It doesn't exist anymore. I have no political signs in my yard. After all I have kids. It isn't worth expressing my politics and then have a teacher bully my kids. The truth is too dangerous. Others refuse to talk about politics for fear of losing their jobs. A reasonable choice and a very rational fear. The truth is too dangerous. No one I know will be honest with a pollster. They will rat you out. You can lose your job, friends, or social circle. The truth is too dangerous.

So yes I have a vague recollection of Bush's "thousand points of light" speech. But only a vague one. It doesn't mean anything. 'They are just words, man', as some might say. Without credibility your weapon doesn't work. If no one believes you your beautiful speech is just sound.

From The Onion (yes, it's old):

"We Must Preserve The Earth's Dwindling Resources For My Five Children"

https://www.theonion.com/we-must-preserve-the-earths-dwindling-resources-for-my-1819584296

From The Onion (yes, it's old):

"We Must Preserve The Earth's Dwindling Resources For My Five Children"

https://www.theonion.com/we-must-preserve-the-earths-dwindling-resources-for-my-1819584296