I'm gonna say something very unpopular. Carville should shut up until

[blm]

he goes to speech class and learns HOW to speak.

I love what he says when I can understand it, but, I'll be damned if I only understand what he's saying maybe 20% of the time. And I am someone who hinges on every word I can from our side.

It's annoying beyond belief and at this crucial stage of the election, we can't afford for our side to lose 80% of its airtime because of garbled words.

Begala is even mumbling a good deal of his time away, especially when he talks faster.

Carlson and Novak are two of the biggest jerks around, but they know enunciation is more than half the battle in getting your point heard.

With all the money he makes, would it be so gawddam hard for Carville to learn to enunciate his words?

Begala, too.

[madaboutharry]

1. Maybe CNN should put

subtitles on the screen.

[kimchi]

2. I understand most of what he says.

The accent is a little thick, and he speaks too fast--but I understand him. 'Course I have a two year old, also.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jtb33]

4. ROFL!

I haven't heard him speak... anyone have a clip? What accent does he have?

[madinmaryland]

5. Maybe you should clean the wax out of your ears.

I can understand him fine. Maybe its that I am mad like he is at the traitor and twinker.

[Scairp]

35. I guess "Yankees" have a hard time understanding Cajun

I always understand him just fine.

[freetobegay]

6. Sice my other post was deleted I will rephrase.

If you think you can do better got for it! This man has done more the the party than lets say...

[blm]

12. Yes, he has. But now he's a commentatotr on TV and in that role

it is his responsibility to be heard CLEARLY.

[freetobegay]

7. ...

[imax2268]

8. well...

I can understand him just fine...what I don't like is "NoFacts" spraying spit all over the place when he talks...that drunken slur really get's to me also...

[terrya]

10. Plus, Novak has this whiny kind of voice.

It's most unpleasant to hear, to put it mildly.

[Catherine Vincent]

9. I understand him but he does talk too fast.

He's a cajun.

[barb162]

11. I never had a problem understandng him

and I enjoy listening to him. He lays it right on the line and attacks.

[blm]

13. If it wasn't his responsibility to speak clearly for our side, I'd enjoy

just listening to the rhythm of his cadence. But, in his role as a broadcast representative, I believe he is mostly unintelligible for an average listener of average hearing.

[Placebo]

14. I can understand him JUST FINE!!! and BESIDES...

The man is a political genius and god, and I don't think CNN would keep him on if they thought people couldn't hear what the hell he was saying.

You actually think that Novak's sloshy paralyzed mouth full of a bucket of spit voice is CLEAR??? Give me a break! :grr:

[oasis]

15. Carville wouldn't be as charming if he spoke like Richard Burton or

Peter O'Toole. Having a "good ole boy" as a Dem spokesman is a plus.

[blm]

16. I love good old boy speak like Cleland who still speaks clearly.

5{ing Carville should speak like Burton, but, he should at LEAST be understood by most people. Cleland and many other southerners maintained their charm while speaking distinctly.

It's Carville's JOB now to be clear and convincing on TELEVISION. If he isn't reaching people he isn't doing his job, he's just entertaining those who have no problem discerning what he is saying.

[oasis]

Fritz Hollings has a smooth, eloquent southern style but some find

fault with his speech pattern.

Television audiences want to be entertained. Carville's "job" is to be on top of his game as an informed attack dog.

[oasis]

21. dupe

[Blue_Roses]

23. Have you ever been to south Louisiana?

where Carville is from? I'm from Louisiana but was raised in the northern part, however, I spent MUCH time down in south louisiana when I was in college. I had alot of cajun friends and their dialect is VERY strong--in fact, if you stay long enough you will find yourself talking just like them! Here's how to sum up what they may be saying:everything is pronounced with a prefix of dae, dat, den,doe,and don! For example: den dere Bush don messed up don dere country. See how fun that is! :D You can just throw "articulate" out of the window when you're down there! They may be hard to understand but they can cook you some of the BEST food you will ever eat!

I know the cajun lingo sounds like their nuts but alot of it comes a french background mixture. I love Carville, HOWEVER, I can see how it is frustrating, especially when he talks so fast on top of the dialect. He has ADHD too. I can't help it--I love the guy!:D

BTW New Orleans doesn't count as TRUE cajun country. There are alot of transients there. You have to go deep in the wetlands to see true cajuns.

[quaoar]

25. Carville is from near Baton Rouge

In fact, he is from Carville, La., a tiny town named after his grandfather on the east side of the Mississippi River just south of Baton Rouge in Iberville Parish. It is across the river from White Castle, home of Nottoway, the largest plantation home left in the South.

I knew him in the mid 1980s when he was still relatively unknown. He had managed a Senate campaign in Virginia at the time. I was a reporter for the Baton Rouge paper and James liked to hang out in the press room at City Hall. Highly energetic even back then.

As far as his accent is concerned, he sounds normal to me. LOL

[Blue_Roses]

27. I have some friends who live in Covington

One of the best places I went with a friend who lives down there was a little town called Church Point to party. I'll never forget it! Then there's Breax Bridge and so many more memories! Those were good times!

I went to Louisiana Tech and it seemed like everyone from south louisiana went north!

[blm]

29. I don't think Carville is nuts at all. I love him, I just can't hear him.

.

[rullery]

18. Right!

Southerners recognize Carville as one of their own. We might just carry Louisiana and a few other southern states this time. So IMO it helps to have him in the debate.

[mondo joe]

17. I think probably a good number of Americans understand him just fine

I understand Carville just fine.

And I think probably a whole lot of Americans understand him just fine. They may even appreciate a Southern accent.

It's part of his charm, it's part of hist style and it's part of what makes him genuine.

[LTR]

19. He projects poorly when they're outside

Crossfire is a mess when they're on the road.

Then again, CNN is terrible when they do remotes (worse than usual). They were awful at the DNC Convention, since they didn't seem to have a skybox. Way too many technical glitches and bad sound quality. It was very amateur.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[no name no slogan]

22. Carville is an ass

I've never liked him. He's always represented the problem with politics in this country. The whole political "class" is the reason behind things like the Swift Boat ads, and the whole "triangulate until it sounds good" mentality that has turned elections into horseraces and has turned off so many potential voters.

It's because of Carville and his ilk that most people don't think there's any difference between the Dems and Reps anymore, and that politics is only about who can tell the least number of lies and still get elected. It's part of the reason why politicians don't stand for anything anymore, except for their own (re)election.

Screw 'em all. They're part of the reason why it's difficult to get any REAL CHANGE accomplished in this country.

[Catherine Vincent]

28. Carville may be an ass but he's our kind of ass.

And best of all he brought us the great BILL CLINTON to the White House!

[LloydLib]

33. Carville is smart, did Clinton win, it is the economy stupid

Do you think it is nam stupid will win for us.

Carville was real smart with that saying. It beat a bush.

[spanone]

24. The Infortainment shows are not gonna make or break an election

Besides you gotta love Carville, unless you're travelin' from the dark side. He's from Louisiana and he talks like it.

[JohnKleeb]

26. I have a hard time understanding him too

but if you listen you can understand him, but I have to admit that cajun accent is hard for a lot of people.

[blm]

34. Few people have sharp hearing. Mine is just average hearing

and maybe on the low side. But, I believe that is the same for most of the public, especially baby boomers.

[LloydLib]

30. I will make it easy for you

It is the economy stupid. Most on here and on the Kerry campaign do not get that. Clinton beat bush on that. Not dragging up Nam.

Drop this nam stuff now. Ignore them. Talk about now not 40 years ago.

[blm]

32. Scared the rest of the public is about to find out W is for aWol?

.

[Zhade]

31. I mostly think he should shut up about, say, Venezuela.

And he's a little too corporatist for me.

So, ironically, you and I agree, for different reasons!

:D