India Doyle: Obama is hotter than Cameron

Barack Obama, the most revered man on Facebook, has been re-elected as the American President; the whole world can breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not going to spend time […]


Barack Obama, the most revered man on Facebook, has been re-elected as the American President; the whole world can breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not going to spend time discussing why it’s a great thing that he won; fiscal policy and foreign policy don’t make for a gripping read – and I’m not American, so I can’t approach the subject with the same informed coverage of Fox News.

What I can talk about, sort of, is Obama’s rhetoric. Obama’s oratorical skills are mesmerising, he rouses (and probably arouses too) a nation into a state of euphoria, almost the moment he takes to the stage. Of course, Americans tend to be an excitable bunch in general, but the reaction to Obama goes beyond patriotism alone.

On this side of the Atlantic, we have David Cameron (and Nick Clegg: crap Batman’s shit sidekick). Both of these characters are as inspiring as a regurgitated Empire pizza.

Rhetoric is really important, and this is why no one really has any belief in Cameron or Clegg, and why most people, especially young people, adore Obama.

David Cameron on the future and his role as Prime Minister: “In terms of the future, our country has a hung parliament where no party has an overall majority and we have some deep and pressing problems – a huge deficit, deep social problems, a political system in need of reform … I came into politics because I love this country. I think its best days still lie ahead and I believe deeply in public service.”

He focuses instantly on the negative, and what’s worse, he fails to create a sense that he’s the man to sort it out. Does he love this country? It’s a bit of a passive statement, should a Prime Minister even say “love”?

Obama, on the other hand: “It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.”

Obama is equally as humble as Cameron, BUT “one nation” and “one people”; “American family”; “reaffirmed the spirit”; “triumphed over war”; these phrases are a lot more exuberant and inspiring, there is a hope presented in the face of all the problems that America, as a united whole, will encounter.

Cameron’s closing thoughts: “This is going to be hard and difficult work. A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges. But I believe together we can provide that strong and stable government that our country needs based on those values – rebuilding family, rebuilding community, above all, rebuilding responsibility in our country. Those are the things I care about. Those are the things that this government will now start work on doing.”

Okay… its going to be a long hard slog, but don’t worry, the government will hopefully be strong and stable! But then he climaxes with: “will now start work on doing”. Hardly an eloquent finish, is it? And that’s the end. An awkwardly constructed sentence and Cameron’s out, I mean, he’s in, but he’s finished the speech. Are you inspired? No, me neither.

Then there’s Obama’s finish: “And together with your help and God’s grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.”

Boom: There’s hope, there’s affirmation and there’s confidence; everyone in the world is either weeping or cheering.

Throughout, Obama’s speech is poised, confident and he invokes multiple examples to hit his message home; he even has music. David Cameron’s stands alone, with his wife looking really nervous on the sidelines. His speech is rushed, awkward and he looks as if he is more focused on not forgetting his speech than on its content. You can judge for yourself:

I mean, there are lots of differences in terms of the circumstances in which these two speeches were delivered. But all I’m saying is that perhaps if Cameron could deliver a King’s Speech, spoken with the confidence and enthusiasm of Obama, he might engender some faith in the government. Britain is perfectly capable of being patriotic, we were during the Olympics, and thanks, in part, to Churchill’s rhetoric, we were during the war. In a time of crisis, such as the one we are in now, the country needs a leader we genuinely believe in, not a man who does interviews with Grazia and cheers awkwardly at the Chelsea game during the G8 summit. We don’t really want Ed Miliband either. We need a government that has sound and sensible policies, but we also need a leader who inspires trust, who inspires confidence, and who inspires the hope of a better future.