Has a previous President used a teleprompter at a press conference?

[smalll]

I honestly don't know. Of course Presidents have been heavily teleprompter-reliant, ever since Reagan, who really was the first great virtuoso teleprompterist. I'd be surprised if Dubya didn't use one at his press conferences.

But I don't know. IS Obama the first President to use one in this kind of setting? If so, it was a gaffe. The meme was already out there. If he set a new precedent tonight, he fed the meme, for no good reason.

[Imperialism Inc.]

1. I'm not sure why I should care about something so trivial.

If that is the worst the press can come up with Obama should consider the presser a major victory.

[geckosfeet]

2. Not a gaffe. Ignore this meaningless meme. Move onto something that matters.

[msongs]

3. the moron bush threatened/bullied/insulted media at pressers yet media didnt comment on that nt

[eleny]

4. I recall W using typed statements

He always seemed to be turning pages in a binder.

[ecstatic]

5. did you forget the sarcasm tag?

:shrug:

[babylonsister]

6. Fer cryin' out loud, it WAS NOT a gaffe! He had a 'prepared statement'

he read, but the balance of the presser was President Obama talking to people without it.

Lose that terrible meme you're hearing.

[spotbird]

7. yes. nt

[smalll]

11. Well OK then!

Who used it? Did Bush use it? I'm on dialup myself, but the DSL gentry and the FIOS aristocracy should be able to pull up some video of this pretty easily, then send it out to the appropriate media channels.

[Massacure]

24. Yes, Bush used a teleprompter.

As I think about it, he probably used one during his prime time speech following the 9/11 attacks. He never looked down during the entire thing and there is no way he could possibly memorize a 30 or 45 minute speech in a days time.

Just for fun I also googled 'bush teleprompter'. Here's a nice little link:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKN2540350420070926



NEW YORK (Reuters) - How do you keep a leader as verbally gaffe-prone as U.S. President George W. Bush from making even more slips of the tongue?

When Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, the White House inadvertently showed exactly how -- with a phonetic pronunciation guide on the teleprompter to get him past troublesome names of countries and world leaders.

The White House was left scrambling to explain after a marked-up draft of Bush's speech popped up briefly on the U.N. Web site as he delivered his remarks, giving a rare glimpse of the special guidance he gets for major addresses.

It included phonetic spellings for French President Nicolas Sarkozy (sar-KO-zee), a friend, and Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe (moo-GAH-bee), a target of U.S. human rights criticism.

Pronunciations were also provided for Kyrgyzstan (KEYR-geez-stan), Mauritania (moor-EH-tain-ee-a) and the Zimbabwe capital Harare (hah-RAR-ray).

[kestrel91316]

32. Prepared statements are given at a podium because what's where

you set your typed pages to read from/refer to.

There is absolutely no difference between reading from a teleprompter and reading from typed notes.

Again, thank you for your concern. Now go home, Rush.

[NYC Liberal]

36. First, read this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8269887

Second, the teleprompter is for the SPEECH part not the Q&A.

[Thrill]

8. What fucking difference does it make if you use it or read it off paper like Clinton?

How the hell is it a gaffe. This is stupid

[Cha]

9. Who the fuck cares unless you buy into

the corporatemediawhores' gotcha of the day, of course.

[Cass]

10. Why weren't they this obsessed when Bush showed up at a debate with Kerry

with some kind of box under his jacket strapped to his back?

[Uzybone]

12. Sorry, you are a sockpuppet

He did the same thing in his 1st press conference you know.

I guess the 1st president who used a computer also gaffed.

[DJ13]

13. .......

[smalll]

16. OK, but were those press conferences?

Again, we know Presidents have lived off the things since Reagan. Someone a day or two ago here had some great Presidential teleprompter shots, including of Bush at the "Mission Accomplished" event. Honestly, neither of those pics you found look very press-conferency to me.

[DJ13]

19. Reagan's was

Why does it matter to you?

[smalll]

21. Thank you!

That should be the answer then -- rather than generalized media-bashing, or even worse, "twittering class" technophilia, both of which seem to me the only responses so far to this here at DU.

[Webster Green]

38. Um....the media generally sucks!

They richly deserve a general bashing!

What's your fucking deal though? Your posts are generally really fucking lame. :wtf:

[Reterr]

29. Such repulsive people

Both of them :puke:...And as stupid as they come in both cases.

[havocmom]

14. Oh look! Another small post

and not even out of character.

[WhiteTara]

15. Regan was a teleprompter master n/t

[Political Tiger]

17. EVERY politician uses them!

And how does using or not using a telepromter have to do with fixing the economy?

[Teaser]

18. oh fuck me.

this is the stupidest shit anyone has posted all day. congratufuckinglations on that.

EPIC POSTING FAIL.

[Peacetrain]

20. gaffe gate again.. oh vey.. think about it, how would a teleprompter help anyone in a question

and answer section.

[Webster Green]

39. No shit!...This is how stupid the right wing media thinks we are..

Obama's answers to the "press" questions were obviously off the cuff.

I'm getting weary of these traitorous fucking assholes trying to destroy our country with their bullshit propaganda. :mad:

[chollybocker]

22. It's Telepromptergate !!

Now I'll be pacing the floors all night...

[HughMoran]

23. What the FUCK is wrong here?

Are you smoking crack?

:smoke:

[Avalux]

27. ROFL!

Inane, eh? :rofl:

[Drunken Irishman]

25. Firstly, Bush rarely held press conferences like this.

So it's not like we have all that many samples to choose from.

Secondly, most press conferences with prepared remarks are indeed done with a teleprompter.

[cliffordu]

26. Well....maybe he doesn't give a shit about the meme.

Every Preznit that has been able to has used the teleprompter and if the press corpse has to lie about it, no one is fooled.

HE didn't answer any fucking QUESTIONS from a teleprompter now did he???

He's driving them batshit crazy. Toinight they were little more than set dressing for another talk with the public.

He is illustrating just how useless they have become.

[Reterr]

28. I only know that I honestly couldn't care less

These are the kind of non-issues Repugs and the media morons want people to continue to focus on. But now that the average American has some actual problems outside of say their favorite American Idol contestant not making it or something, people are not going to be duped by these moronic non-issues.

[Occam Bandage]

30. Oh, look, Smalll's bitching about something completely pointless again. nt

[kestrel91316]

31. I see you got the memo. Thank you for your concern.

[rvablue]

33. YESSS! LOOK AT THIS G-D THREAD I POSTED LAST WEEK!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8269887


And start recing it and kicking it....I searched a while for this stuff and there are many, many more out there.


Get to work DU and let's put this POS meme to bed!

[Jennicut]

34. I see this as a technology thing. Obama is up on the tech. Why read from note cards anymore?

That is so like last decade. Seriously, the teleprompter is more like a computer and more like the tech the Prez uses. The man texts on a blackberry for God Sakes! Shrub never texted.

[Webster Green]

35. Christ-O-Rama, the chimp had a fucking ear piece tuned to ROVE

Remember the real obvious bulge with a wire running up his back?

Obama's answers to press questions were obviously impromptu, though he probably had a teleprompter for his intro statement. :wtf: Who gives a shit?

Is this all the insane repukes and their media drones can come up with? :rofl:

[Politicalboi]

37. Here's a shorter and better video

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/24/teleprompter-vs-no-telepr_n_178474.html

[CreekDog]

40. but if his opening statement were on paper it's okay?

he didn't use the teleprompter for the questions but for the statement beforehand.

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

41. Hm.

[EmilyAnne]

42. Not sure, but he is certainly the first Kenyan born anti-christ president to use one.

[Two Americas]

43. no

He is not the first president to chuckle, either.

Lincoln was a notorious chuckler.

[bigwillq]

44. Why does it matter?

:shrug:

[krawhitham]

45. This sums it up

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/24/teleprompter-vs-no-telepr_n_178474.html

[BlooInBloo]

46. You're stupid.

[Raine]

47. WHAT he says is what's important

not whether he fucking reads if off of something, fer Gawd's sake!!!!!!!!!! :argh: