Greatest Political Speech in History

[Eraserhead]

Barack Obama-2004 DNC Convention
Barack Obama-2008 New Hampshire Primary Night
Barack Obama-2008 Speech on Race and Reverend Wright
Barack Obama-2008 DNC Convention
Barack Obama-2008 Election Night

The Top Five, No Order.

This will be how they see '08 in the future...

LOL.

Where is Iowa?

[frihetsivrare]

One important and great speech not mentioned yet is Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address.  It certainly one of the great speeches of the 20th Century.  To my knowledge, this is the first speech with the phrase "military industrial complex."

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pWAGgLSCSQ
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oACur8v1188
"In the counsels of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.  The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist."

Another speech is John F. Kennedy's secrecy speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZk8ronces
"There is little value in ensuring the survival of our nation, if our traditions do not survive with it."

[Four49]

One important and great speech not mentioned yet is Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address.  It certainly one of the great speeches of the 20th Century.  To my knowledge, this is the first speech with the phrase "military industrial complex."

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pWAGgLSCSQ
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oACur8v1188
"In the counsels of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.  The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist."

Another speech is John F. Kennedy's secrecy speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZk8ronces
"There is little value in ensuring the survival of our nation, if our traditions do not survive with it."

My second favorite.  Here's a link to download it as an .mp3

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html

And Kennedy's 'secrecy speech' is the one I mentioned earlier.  That link you posted is a hatchet jobs.  No offense, but I hate that type of crap.  Here's the real thing.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/003POF03NewspaperPublishers04271961.htm

[12th Doctor]

Father Coughlin Speaks Against the Federal Reserve MUST SEE!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vWAInltDs

He was a fascist.

[Nixon in '80]

Father Coughlin Speaks Against the Federal Reserve MUST SEE!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vWAInltDs

...in conclusion, the Jews did it.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Bump.

[Bo]

Barack Obama-2004 DNC Convention
Barack Obama-2008 New Hampshire Primary Night
Barack Obama-2008 Speech on Race and Reverend Wright
Barack Obama-2008 DNC Convention
Barack Obama-2008 Election Night

The Top Five, No Order.

This will be how they see '08 in the future...

Obama's speeches are way overrated. Same applies to Reagan and Kennedy.

[Bo]

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

[Bo]

Yeah, that was some pretty effective nonsense.

Now Robert, we must remember we are talking about Ronald Reagan here. That man could talk BS in a vast majority of his speeches and he got by it as Governor and as President. Not to mention, anything that man says goes, at least according to popular conservative belief. For example President Reagan "won" the Cold War.

Now Rocky,

I will be one of the first to agree that he is overrated in many ways, but none of his speeches were full of BS. He gave political speeches the way that they should be given: full of witty remarks, dramatic pauses and  incredibly illustrated words. That is what a good political speech is. Look at Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech. It was full of those three things, and is remembered as a great political speech. However, one could argue it was also full of BS, as you and Eraserhead claimed Reagan's Challenger address was. However, anyone who claimed either speech was BS would be very, very wrong.

As a man who has given many speeches, I realize that good political speeches do not give outlines and detailed plans. Those are what State of the Union and corporate addresses are for. An impassioned oration (King's speech) or a moving eulogy (Reagan's speech) are the perfect political speeches. They are sharp, to the point and leave hope in the listeners after they are given. We turn to our leaders in times of crisis to give hope, not a tax code.

PBrunsel, I agree with you that Reagan espoused specific ideas in his speeches. However, his ideas were to make the rich richer and everybody else poorer, which is specifically what I dislike about his speeches--the fact that it made people believe that "Trickle-Down" Economics was good when it was just a huge scam.

[useful idiot]

Reagan 1st Inaugural
Reagan's first acceptance speech
Reagan's farewell address
Lincoln 2nd Inaugural
Lincoln Gettysburg Address

Reagan's best speech, in my mind, was at the 1976 convention. From reading it you wouldn't think it was that amazing, but it was completely unplanned and so the circumstances around it and the powerful delivery make it special.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Reagan's best (though still far from the "greatest") speech was at the 1964 convention, imo.

None of Obama's speeches are particularly good either.

[useful idiot]

None of Obama's speeches are particularly good either.

I'd agree with that. I always thought his speaking ability was vastly overrated, I don't understand what people think is so great about it. I even thought Edwards was better...

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

None of Obama's speeches are particularly good either.

I'd agree with that. I always thought his speaking ability was vastly overrated, I don't understand what people think is so great about it. I even thought Edwards was better...

It's all media hype, of course. The media talking heads swoon over what a great orator Obama is, and most of their gullible audience have never paid attention to a full speech of his anyway.

Obama also seems to be a lot better speaker than he really is due to the fact that we've gotten used to eight-years of the rock-bottom oratory of you-know-who.