DISQUS

A VC: Obama's First Weekly YouTube Address

  • mattmaroon · 1 year ago
    Am I the only one who noticed that early '80s looking wood paneling in the background? That's one notch above smoke-stained floral-print wallpaper.
  • fredwilson · 1 year ago
    i noticed it too. kind of ghetto for the next president of the US
  • Sam Smith · 1 year ago
    Really? Ghetto? is that the word you really want to use?
  • fredwilson · 1 year ago
    That's slang

    I agree its not PC
  • Harry · 1 year ago
    Did you use such slang with previous, white presidents?

    I think it's tacky and undermines your personal brand, Fred. Makes you sound like Don Imus or Rush Limbaugh
  • kenberger · 1 year ago
    Ghetto works for me well, for a *change*. Better than a portrait behind him of Kennebunkport.
  • arikan · 1 year ago
    By addressing the nation on YouTube, Obama is already addressing the "global nation".
  • fredwilson · 1 year ago
    Right

    I am not being critical

    He's doing most everything right so far

    But I kind of wish he'd be a bit more global at the end as well
  • Mike Troiano · 1 year ago
    I think it's awesome. Love the nod to FDR at the end, "We rise and fall as one nation..."
  • dan · 1 year ago
    He's President-elect of the United States, not President of the World.
  • fredwilson · 1 year ago
    I know but the fact is that he needs the cooperation of the world, not just
    our country to fix what's wrong
  • kenberger · 1 year ago
    Off to a great start w/ this.
    Best part is the length: 3:34, like the average pop song video. Retains stickiness.

    "Make no mistake" (at 1:08)-- ditch the Bushism.
  • fredwilson · 1 year ago
    Agree on both Ken
  • Krassen Dimitrov · 1 year ago
    The full sentence is:
    "If this financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers -- in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people."

    A more accurate phrasing would be:
    "If this financial crisis has taught us anything, it's that a thriving Wall Street led to the whole world suffering"

    This fantastic account of what had happened is an absolute "must read":
    http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-...
  • danrua · 1 year ago
    Interesting thought Fred. I don't see it as black and white as you do: one nation vs. one world. I'm much more comfortable with a president-elect who appreciates both national interests and world interests have a role in any solution. As such, mentioning both in the address seems very appropriate...
  • ambivalence · 1 year ago
    I think it's a fine line trying to rally the people here whose self interests are presumably aligned with what his job is as president (elect), as well as appealing to the citizens of the world as a whole who can't quite assume that Obama has their best interest in mind.
  • Geoff · 1 year ago
    Impressive that he is using YouTube rather than his own site, quite a coup for Google.
    I wonder if he will go walkabout on future addresses.
    It all rather reminded me of the Queen's annual Christmas message.
  • Steven Kane · 1 year ago
    the media has made this a youtube thing but obamam IS using his own transition site as the primary source:

    http://change.gov
  • Geoff · 1 year ago
    Thanks for the link. Even on his website it is still a YouTube video.
  • vincentvw · 1 year ago
    I think the danger of viewing things too "globally," is that you end up forgetting about the local. America needs to do a lot to fix itself, one of which is certainly opening up to international regulation, but other national issues were addressed in Obama's video: unemployment, lack of innovation, etc. Whether these two are incompatible, I hope not and I hope that Obama will do what is right, both for the global economy and for the people that elected him.

    Disclaimer: I write this as a European.