The differences in the Bush, McCain and Obama speeches on the economy are striking
All three spoke on 9/19/08 about the economic crisis.
It’s worth reading the speeches. There’s more in common between the Bush and Obama speeches than the Bush and McCain speeches, despite how it appears above. The word “confidence” is key in the Bush speech and Obama makes a similar point. The McCain speech seems to want to hide behind a laundry list of thoughts (and, though numbered, most are making the same point and lack actual policy recommendations) while Obama suggests that laying out his own plan now, if different from the Bernanke/Paulson plan, would only seed doubt in the plan. I can see how this could lead to attacks on his leadership but it shows understanding that FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) can put much more than the final nail in any financial institution. Bear and Lehman collapsed for this very reason. The tone of the speeches stands out the most, at the end of the day. The Bush and Obama speeches both attempt to inspire and calm while McCain’s reads more as whining and pointing fingers.
