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View Full Version : Obama's SOTU - 8th grade level; Jefferson's - near doctorate level!




ZanZibar
01-26-2012, 05:57 PM
So these guys have a way to analyze speech and documents to determine what grade level they are written at.

Mike Church directly compares Obama's to Thomas Jefferson's:

http://www.mikechurch.com/Today-s-Lead-Story/jefferson-vs-obama-tj-scores-masters-degree-sotu-to-os-8th-grade.html


http://brianekoenig.com/2012/01/obamas-state-of-the-union-written-at-8th-grade-level/

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/01/25/state_of_the_union_and_flesch_kincaid_obama_might_ write_for_8th_graders_but_he_doesn_t_write_like_th em.html

VBRonPaulFan
01-26-2012, 06:16 PM
not entirely surprising... most of our founders were among some of the smartest men of their time.

Seraphim
01-26-2012, 06:20 PM
not entirely surprising... most of our founders were among some of the smartest men in human history.

Fixed :)

mosquitobite
01-26-2012, 06:23 PM
not entirely surprising... most of our founders were among some of the smartest men of their time.

And considering public education, the electorate needs 8th grade level...

bolil
01-26-2012, 06:23 PM
Thomas Jefferson is taught to school children as a slaver first and statesmen second. At least that is how I got him, until I took my education into my own hands... which didn't turn out very well either.

stuntman stoll
01-26-2012, 06:25 PM
to be fair, Jefferson's SOTU was written (not spoken). That was the tradition until Wilson.

Zippyjuan
01-26-2012, 06:25 PM
The State of the Union is a political speach- not a college disertation- a sort of national pep talk. Jefferson's probably would have been different if he was to address the entire country via mass media rather than speaking to an educated group of elites as well. I don't watch it because I don't expect to learn anything significant.

Aratus
01-26-2012, 06:26 PM
are our politicians dumbing themselves down to tv set era audiances?

Zippyjuan
01-26-2012, 07:04 PM
Voters seem to demand it. They don't want to hear all the boring details of legislation only a quick one liner. They prefer Newt saying "things suck" without saying just what he would do about them if he was actualy elected much better than say Romney offering his "59 points" on an issue.

puppetmaster
01-26-2012, 07:11 PM
to be fair, Jefferson's SOTU was written (not spoken). That was the tradition until Wilson.obamas was written as well.

Look around you, we are surrounded by dolts

Sola_Fide
01-26-2012, 07:13 PM
Awesome thanks

MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2
01-26-2012, 07:41 PM
And considering public education, the electorate needs 8th grade level...

That's pretty much the deal here. The founding fathers were debating philosophy with other philosophers. This is apples and oranges, and also one of the reasons Paul has trouble connecting with people. You need to talk to people with language they can understand. Otherwise, what's the point of talking with them at all?

heavenlyboy34
01-26-2012, 07:59 PM
are our politicians dumbing themselves down to tv set era audiances?Most likely. I have to dumb the message down for Boobus Americanus in everyday life.

Pericles
01-26-2012, 09:16 PM
not entirely surprising... most of our founders were among some of the smartest men of their time.

Indeed, we are the inheritors of a remarkable legacy.