Is Obama Our First Woman President?
A portion of a great piece by Kathleen Parker from the Washington Post Writers Group which appeared in the Buffalo News on Sunday, July 4th.
Generally speaking, men and women communicate differently. Women tend to be coalition builders rather than mavericks (with the occasional rogue exception). While men seek ways to measure themselves against others, for reasons requiring no elaboration, women form circles and talk it out.
Obama is a chatterbox who makes Alan Alda look like Genghis Khan.
The BP oil crisis has offered a textbook case of how Obama's rhetorical style has impeded his effectiveness. The President may not have had the ability to "plug the damn hole," as he put it in one of his manlier outbursts. No one expected him to don a wetsuit and dive into the Gulf, but he did have the authority to intervene immediately and he didn't. Instead, he deferred to BP, weighing, considering.
His lack of immediate commanding action was perceived as a lack of leadership because, we, it was. When he finally addressed the nation on day 56 (!) of the crisis, Obama's speech featured 13% passive-voice constructions, the highest level measured in any major presidential address this century, according to The Global Language Monitor.
Granted, the century is young - and it shouldn't surprise anyone that Obama's rhetoric would simmer next to George W. Bush's boil. But passivity in a leader is not a reassuring posture.
To read the full article, click here.
Generally speaking, men and women communicate differently. Women tend to be coalition builders rather than mavericks (with the occasional rogue exception). While men seek ways to measure themselves against others, for reasons requiring no elaboration, women form circles and talk it out.
Obama is a chatterbox who makes Alan Alda look like Genghis Khan.
The BP oil crisis has offered a textbook case of how Obama's rhetorical style has impeded his effectiveness. The President may not have had the ability to "plug the damn hole," as he put it in one of his manlier outbursts. No one expected him to don a wetsuit and dive into the Gulf, but he did have the authority to intervene immediately and he didn't. Instead, he deferred to BP, weighing, considering.
His lack of immediate commanding action was perceived as a lack of leadership because, we, it was. When he finally addressed the nation on day 56 (!) of the crisis, Obama's speech featured 13% passive-voice constructions, the highest level measured in any major presidential address this century, according to The Global Language Monitor.
Granted, the century is young - and it shouldn't surprise anyone that Obama's rhetoric would simmer next to George W. Bush's boil. But passivity in a leader is not a reassuring posture.
To read the full article, click here.