PrintNot making eye contact with the American people
Perhaps another sign that the media is restless with the President they helped create is this story from Politico about how Obama is never without his teleprompter. He uses it at almost all his appearances, even when making brief announcements or when repeating themes he has spoken on many times before.
Not only that, but he doesn't seem to use it all that well. He's so focused on what is on the small glass screen that he isn't getting feedback from the audience. Obama's addiction the his Teleprompter is interrupting the flow of the news events, making their job more difficult. It limits the camera angles they can use when filming him speak, it has to be taken down before the new Cabinet nominee can make his or her comments and it gets between the news cameras and the shot they want to take away from the event of the President shaking hands with the other attendees.
"He uses them to death," a television crewmember who also covered the White House under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush said of the teleprompter. "The problem is, he never looks at you. He's looking left, right, left, right - not at the camera. It's almost like he's not making eye contact with the American people."
I find that interesting. Most politicians and all actors do not like that sense of being removed from the audience that a teleprompter creates. They want to feed off the energy of the crowd. By doing so, they know better when to pause, when to ad lib and when to perhaps skip over something because the audience attention is starting to wander. An over addiction to the Teleprompter would explain the comments that at some recent events Obama's timing seemed off, that he paused when applause was not forthcoming.
So far the media has been patient enough to wait for the hardware to be removed or to move to get an angle on the money shot that doesn't include the teleprompter at Obama's elbow as he talks to the guest of honor. When we start seeing that pane of glass blocking Obama's face we will know the honeymoon is over.
For your amusement, here is Iowahawk's video of Obama's teleprompter asking for a little more respect.
