So on this side of the pond, I dig out American media coverage of the elections through youtube. Not that there aren't plenty of soundbites on the radio over here -- not to mention magazine and newspaper articles -- but there's something to be said about listening to the sound of candidates' own voices instead of German voiceovers.
Besides, Saturday Night Live (<-- fyi, a video) isn't broadcast over here. :oP
Anyway, so one of the tidbits I found was a recent interview of Obama -- by Bill O'Reilly.
I've found O'Reilly's bullying, arrogant style off-putting in the past; and as I clicked on the interview, I cringed to think of that petty nastiness in the same room with reason and dignity.
But if you have time, seriously check it out. The two are great opposite each other. O'Reilly is aggressive, but not mean; he interrupts a lot, but remains respectful and self-deprecatory enough to balance it out. And Obama handles himself like a pro. His responses are pointed, educated, honest, and wise (I think it's safe to say I'm now quite in love with him). You can see how the two enjoy the duel; at the end, O'Reilly even spontaneously challenges Obama to a basketball game. "You've got height," Obama shoots back without missing a beat, "but I've got speed." O'Reilly returns with, "If I win, I get to be Secretary of State." The interview is tough; but, impossibly, ends up leaving both parties very likeable.
Too bad we don't see this more often in American political discourse.
3 comments:
You found this likeable? I can see that...sort of. I think I like constant confirmation that Bill O'Reilly is an outrageously arrogant and heartless piece of you knwo what. If he interrupted me that much, I'd get up and whack him with the chair.
Well, his little opening spots were certainly typical O'Reilly: mock outrage, insult instead of argument, hypocrisy. But I found that during the interview himself, he visibly liked Obama (despite disagreeing with him) and that earned him points for me. ;)
The interview was interesting! But still, I can't help but find O'Reilly himself to be more than a snake. Luckily his kind are few, and mostly seen on Fox News.
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