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November 19, 2008 at 10:28:15

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Obama is Already Stirring Controversy

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By The Old Codger (about the author)     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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Obama’s Use of Complete Sentences a Stunning Break with Last Eight Years


The Old Codger


In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.
Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama’s appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday witnessed the president-elect’s unorthodox verbal tick, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama’s decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years, many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring. According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it “alienating” to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language.

“Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement,” says Mr. Logsdon. “If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist.”

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, “Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate -- we get it, stop showing off.”  The President-elect’s stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

“Talkin’ with complete sentences there and also too talkin’ in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can’t really do there, I think needin’ to do that isn’t tappin’ into what Americans are needin’ also,” she said.

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The Old Codger today is an old, cynical, cantankerous, contrarian who enjoys the occasional bottle of Jack Daniels. He works in a university of some repute attempting to teach writing, critical thinking and logic, all three of which are daunting (more...)
 

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Complete sentence controversy by Larry Retzack on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 at 10:17:22 PM
sentences.... by Debbie Scally on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 at 11:42:13 PM
Thanks for your gentle satire on our brutalized language by Carol Cleveland on Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 at 1:48:43 PM

 
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