His habit of trying to speak faster than he thinks

[tony zhang]

Hi there! After reading the two passages attached, I have the following questions:
1. What does it mean by "His habit of trying to speak faster than he thinks earned him the nickname of "Mumbles"?
2. Is Stafford a slow-talking person or a fast-talking person?

Background info:
Stafford is a brilliant guy from a little town in Oklahoma who thinks as fast as a computer and is usually right. His habit of trying to speak faster than he thinks earned him the nickname of "Mumbles."
--from Chapter 8, The last man on the moon, by Eugene Cernan (astronaut and moon walker)

"I'm out here trying to make sure you command Seventeen [Apollo 17], and you just may have fucked it all up." For a slow-talking Oklahoman, Stafford sure had a way with words.
--from Chapter 25, The last man on the moon, by Eugene Cernan (astronaut and moon walker)

Would you please explain or paraphrase it for me?

Thank you!

 

[owlman5]

1. What does it mean by "His habit of trying to speak faster than he thinks earned him the nickname of "Mumbles"?

Hello, Tony. I suppose it means that he mumbled when he tried to talk fast.

2. Is Stafford a slow-talking person or a fast-talking person?

Cernan called him a slow-talking Oklahoman, so I assume that he talked slow. However, this doesn't support the idea that he thought as fast as a computer and had a habit of trying to speak faster than he thought. I'm not surprised that you find the comments contradictory and confusing. I do too.