speaker and obama speeches

The recent speeches by House speaker John Boehner and President Obama on the economic crisis painted sharp contrasts and comparisons as to their strategies and techniques. The paper outlines these aspects.

Criticism of the speaker’s speech

One strategy that the speaker used in his speech is drawing comparison. This is when he talks about the small business he operated before serving in congress and Washington DC. He explained that Washington DC was increasing its spending unlike every other business in the country.

The speaker is also seen to personalize the problem. He states that he did all he could in ensuring the proper implementation of “Cut, Cap & Balance” but that president Obama would not cede ground. He states that he president would keep changing the demands.

The House speaker is also seen to use the “Us and them strategy” by stating that President Obama has been advocating for another increase in limits for the national debt but the house of congress would not agree. This is also seen when the house speaker advances a simplistic approach to solving the debt crisis and states that the house is in a position to make decisions that would liberate the country’s economy and the only thing that is remaining is for the president to join hands with them.

From the non verbal communication, the house speaker is seen to be a bit too combative. The volume of his voice is seen to increase every now and then especially when stating the position of the house and the hurdles. He also seems a bit Skippy and restless painting the picture of one who is trying too hard to extricate himself from the problem.

Criticism of president Obama’s speech

The president in his speech draws comparison between the current economic situation and the past instances. In this case, he supports the decision to increase the debt limit by stating that George W Bush and Ronald Reagan did it in their times as presidents. This was important in showing that this was not the first time that the decision was made.

The president is also seen to generalize the whole problem. He states that every party is to blame for the situation the country is in. he also states that the problem did not start with his reign as he took the leadership while the debt was just about to hit the trillion dollar mark.

The president also incorporates a defensive strategy in the speech when he blames the recent condition on the past experiences. He insinuates that although the country had a budget surplus in 2000, the money was spent badly on wars and a drug program. This, he states, was aggravated by the recess which not only lowed the amount of money coming in but also necessitated more spending.

The president also brings about a wholistic approach to the whole crisis especially as concerning the decisions that need to be done.

In his speech, the president is seen incorporating signs and gestures. This is especially when he is stressing the point about the effects of not making the decision in time. His tone also changes albeit slightly when he is stating about compromise and especially at the end of the speech. He is heard to be firm as he quotes Jefferson, and strikes a compromising tone as he states the importance of compromise in making the decision.