TDPS: Michele Bachmann Promises No Teleprompter, Uses iPad Instead

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1. Ronnie Raygun, patron saint of Republicanism was well known for using a teleprompter-

But suddenly it's a sin when Obama does it. It's a meme that Sarah the weather girl got rolling- which should be an indicator of how stupid it is, since every president since Raygun has used them. And as David points out, before teleprompers, presidents read their speeches off paper. Check out the films of FDR giving the Day That Will Live in Infamy speech sometime. And guess what Republicans? When Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, HE WAS READING IT OFF A PAPER! TV news people use them too. Ever seen any old videos of Walter Kronkite? But nobody seems to mind that.

The thing with teleprompters is that they allow a speaker to communicate more effectively by appearing to maintain eye contact (unless you've got your teleprompter set up next to the wrong camera, right Michele?) and since one of the things Obama is noted for is his ability to give a speech, I guess it's an obvious thing to attack him on. Personally I also think this meme has persisted because so many Republicans don't like it when a black man looks them in the eye when he's talking to them.