I like Carter, but as someone who's studied a lot of speeches, it's not a great speech. The moral crisis in the first half gets "resolved" in the second by a policy laundry list--the parts don't fit. Honesty is excellent but it's not enough
Oh, Terrell on Malcolm and Obama
Brooks on Fannie Lou Hamer, Browne on Angelina Grimke and also Edmund Burke come immediately to mind.
In which I join the growing debate initiated by @juliaazari.bsky.social and others about whether Congress should try once again to impeach Donald Trump.
oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/impeachmen...
Some thoughts on Trump's failure to justify this war and the continuing relevance of traditional presidential rhetoric.
oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/presidenti...
Farmers should love it
This always makes me miss Jim
It plays a surprisingly large role in the recent new bio of Charles Sumner. He did a big long speech about it on the Senate floor and thought it justified the civil rights act. I’ve become curious about it as a result of that.
I wrote about Mark Carney's excellent speech last week. It's a great example of a speaker trying to create a new language for a new world and I talk about how he does so. oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/prime-mini...
And the two prospects will turn into All Stars, they'll turn a young guy into a superhero to replace him, and still win the division. Devil magic Brewers. Says disgruntled Cubs fan.
A quick and dirty critique of @governorwalz.mn.gov speech yesterday. Spoiler alert: He uses language to make order of disorder. substack.com/inbox/post/1...
Great pieve
This guy. Yes.
If you can stomach it, this is an excellent analysis of video available of the murder of Renee Good. It is "at odds" with the Trump version! Extremely "at odds," you might say, "disproves" or "undermines," or "shows they are lying."
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
It’s a classic. One of the best histories I’ve ever read.
Look at you, posting about sportsing
So happy to hear this!
Congratulations Dr. Turner!
My best birthday present ever happened on a Wednesday in Cleveland m.youtube.com/watch?v=HOp8...
More critiques of Trump's rhetoric! I'm looking at his UN speech and, in particular, his public diplomacy toward India.
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
Awwwww
"Appeasement" feels like it's in the air tonight, as it were, and so I thought a brief rhetorical history of appeasement, bullies, Hitler, Trump, and more might be useful.
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
In which I think about Trump, Nixon, and his little dog Checkers, or How did we get to Resentment Politics?
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
Fascism is one way to explain Trump but he’s also embraced the Republican, authoritarian agenda that stretches back to Jim Crow. open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
Some thoughts on Daaaa new pope’s early public speeches. I’m encouraged: open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
This week, I critique the argument fallacies filling the Tapper and Thompson book attacking Joe Biden. Spoiler alert: Hasty generalization is bad. open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
I had no idea that Joe's Biden's retirement package include a condo in Trump's head. Livin' large and rent-free forever, it appears.
Surrendering on tariffs is a nice way to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Appomattox. Trump's side lost there, too.
Cory Booker's a little tired now because he spent 25 hours speaking on the Senate floor and the 25 hours after that sending me emails.
