Um, uh, what I mean is…
What Obama suffers from is the classic “intellectual stammer”—a hesitancy that “signals a brain that is moving so fast the mouth can’t keep up," said Meghan Daum in the Los Angeles Times.
Meghan Daum
Los Angeles Times
Is Barack Obama “bumblingly inarticulate”? asked Meghan Daum. Despite his soaring speeches, many people seem to think that without a teleprompter, the president is a terrible speaker. His responses to questions are marked by frequent “pauses, ‘uhs,’ and sputtering starts,” and sometimes his search for the right word “seems to last longer than the search for Osama bin Laden.” But this doesn’t mean Obama is incoherent. What he suffers from is the classic “intellectual stammer”—a hesitancy that “signals a brain that is moving so fast the mouth can’t keep up.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Think of the speech patterns of Woody Allen, college professors, and many other intellectuals—including the grandiloquent godfather of the conservative movement, William F. Buckley. But for a politician, sounding like a “phlegmatic egghead” is a definite drawback. Oxford graduate Bill Clinton was just as brainy, but he hid his smarts “behind a folksy regional accent or good-old-boy affectations.” When Obama speaks, unfortunately for him, he sounds exactly like what he is: a man who has spent a lot of time in university classrooms.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published