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Regular readers know we’ve taken to observing President Obama’s habit of frequently referencing himself during his speeches. We thought his address at the Democratic National Convention — where he reflected upon his eight years in office — would likely represent the pinnacle of this rhetorical tic.
If only.
While speaking Wednesday afternoon to students in Laos, Obama blew away his past records for self-references. During a 72 minute townhall, Obama somehow managed to reference himself an astonishing 171 times.
Obama mentioned -- repeatedly -- how he's the first president to visit Laos. He spoke at length about his affinity for Asia, and about his upbringing in Indonesia. He spoke of his wife's work in nutrition, and his children going away for school. He spoke about his plans to vacation in Laos after leaving office. And so much more ... about Obama.
Note that in past tabulations we included — in addition to “me,” “myself,” “I,” and “my" — his use of "we" when he was referring to his administration. This time around we excluded plural pronouns, as the above montage would simply go on too long. We did, however, include his references to his wife and other family members.
Did we miscount? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.
[Note: We've also posted this montage to Facebook, if you'd like to share it there.]
Earlier:
July 28th, 2016: Watch Obama Refer to Himself 119 Times During Hillary Nominating Speech
Jan. 5th, 2016: In 33 Minute Speech on Guns, Obama Refers to Himself 76 Times
Oct. 1st, 2015: In 12 Minute Speech to America About Mass Shooting, Obama Refers to Himself 28 Times
Jan. 27th, 2015: In India, Watch Obama Refer to Himself 118 Times in a 33-Minute Speech