Trending: Mondale to Obama: ditch the 'idiot boards'
Washington (CNN) - Walter Mondale, vice president during the Carter administration, has some advice for President Obama if he wants to win a second term: drop the teleprompter.
"He's got to connect with the American people," Mondale said, in an interview with CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.
"The American people have to feel that the president senses the suffering they're going through and wants to be a part of the solution."
One major issue Mondale spotlighted was Obama's use of teleprompters when delivering speeches.
"He uses these idiot boards to read speeches [o]n television and I think he loses the connection," Mondale said.
To improve, Mondale suggested that Obama should do more "backyard events where he gets in close with a small group," which is a strategy the White House has employed recently with the President.
Doing so, Mondale said, will "transmit the fact that he feels for people."
Let's see, we have a GOP candidate who wants to lower the minimum wage, that connects with the rich. We have a GOP candidate who wants to force women to have the children of rapists, that connects with the unreasonable religious. We have a GOP candidate who wants to eliminate SS and give Wall Street a chance, that connects with WS. GOP Corker, not running, wants Union wages cut, connects with large corporations again. The GOP wants to extend the tax cuts to the rich or no one at all, connects with the wealthy again.
Who do the Dems need to connect with? Anyone making less than $250,000 a year, on minimum wage, believes a woman has rights, has paid into SS, or believes Union wage contracts help the workers wage, union company or not. And me a person who pays for her own health care.
Nothing wrong with teleprompters. That is just simply using technology, as opposed to talking off of a sheet of paper. Mondale's old. He's old school.
I do agree that he should do more of the impromtu town hall type meetings. He's great at that. That will look and feel more like a real conversation with the people.
All i see is everyone criticizing Obama, saying he doesnt do enough, but when he does anything, the run for cover and leave him out to dry (Im looking at you Democrats) or they oppose and vote no on every piece of legislature (Repubs). So whats it gonna be America? And the most you can come up with is "ditch the teleprompter"?? At this point, if these people whom we citizens have appointed to positions of decision making cant come up with any other solutions besides hiding or throwing stones then I say we burn this b!tch down and start over. Its the entire government (and NOT only the President) that is broken.
If Obama ditches the teleprompters every third word out of his mouth will be uhh.
This is not news. This is just an old man with nothing better to talk about.
Sounds like Mondale is trying to advise Obama on how he can hoodwink the people again. Yeah, just appear as though you can feel our pain. Meanwhile, it may also help if he lays off the extravaganzas and vacations.
Axelrod the White House boss put Obama on the teleprompter because Obama cannot handle as lib or not uh-ah-uh his way through despite 7 years of training by AXELROD, Obama's daddy.
Armchair quarterbacking is really only credible when given by those who have played the position. Good luck with that Mr Mondale, maybe you can make a time machine out of those teleprompter parts.
He does what he does best–read canned speeches.
I agree with Walter Mondale if the president want to connect with the public he needs to stop with someone else's writing as well.
HHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He can't do it. Every time that idiot tries to address a crowd without a teleprompter he gets tongue-tied and stammers like the clueless moron he is. We don't need Obama, just give us the teleprompter.
Mondale as Presidential Candidate carried ONE State, his own.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
This idiot wants to put his 2 cents in? Message to Mondale: GET LOST, LOSER!!!
Why all of a sudden is the teleprompter an issue? The freakin thing has been used for ages! Dang, how idiotic can these geritol babies be? It's also amazing how Harvard all of a sudden dropped to 2nd rate within the last two years. Before you give advice, ask some younger thinkers to proofcheck your statements. This is getting ridiculous.
The one time it really looked bad for Pres. Obama's use of the teleprompter is when he took it to a Middle school. Comedians such as John Stewart even made fun of that one. Mr. Obama is very intelligent, he should jot down some bullet points and just explain his positions to us.
Doing so, Mondale said, will "transmit the fact that he feels for people."
But that's not a fact. Obama is entirely ideology-driven–his intent is to do things to people, not for people. And he doesn't care in the slightest whether the people he's doing things to want those things done to them. He's convinced he's right, he's convinced he's smarter than the rest of us, and he's convinced that ordinary people are too dumb to run their own lives.
Mondale is still alive? Wow I didn't even know that.
Hey Walter .. 525 to 13.. I think President Obama knows what he has to do. He doesn't need your advice.. Again I say.. 525 to 13 ...
Wow Mondale is smarter than I thought. What Walter doesn't take into account is without the teleprompter Obama can't speak.
Everytime I turn on the tele O is in someones backyard...I see no problem with using teleprompters...he is not an idiot and to imply that is a joke....
Maybe Obama should try something on his teleprompters like, "a chicken in every pot, a horse in every garage..."
Maybe he could write a little book on economics and give each citizen a machine-autographed copy before the elections.
No–! Make another televsion speech from the OVAL OFFICE!
Obama can't drop it. How else is he to communicate. They won't let him beat on log drum.
So mondale wants obama to put on a front in peoples backyards for political gain lmao mondale and obama are both idiots
Who pays these losers to give loser advice?
So this loser is calling President Obama an idiot?
Yes, I'm sure when trying to win elections and campaigning politicians should listen to Mondale...