Speechwright: An Insider's Take on Political Rhetoric

Preface

Speechwright a n in SiDer ’ S ta K e On P OL i t iC a L rhe t OriC | w iL L i a M F. g av in M i C h i g a n S t a t e u n i v e r S i t Y P r e S S | e a S t L a n S i n g Copyright © 2011 by William F. Gavin i The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992®1997) (Permanence of Paper). H Michigan State University Press East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5245 Printed and bound in the United States of America. 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Gavin, William F. Speechwright : an insider’s take on political rhetoric / William F. Gavin. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-61186-017-7 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Communication in politics—United States—History—20th century. 2. Rhetoric—Political aspects—United States— History—20th century. 3. Speechwriting—United States—History—20th century. 4. Gavin, William F. 5. Speechwriters—United States—Biography. 6. United States— Politics and government—1945–1989. I. Title. JA85.2.U6G38 2011 808.5092—dc22 [B] 2011006439 Cover and interior design by Sharp Des!gns, Lansing, MI G MichiganStateUniversityPressisamemberoftheGreenPressInitiativeandiscommitted to developing and encouraging ecologically responsible publishing practices. For more information about the Green Press Initiative and the use of recycled paper in book publishing, please visit www.greenpressinitiative.org. Visit Michigan State University Press at www.msupress.msu.edu To Bob Michel and Jim Buckley [Speechwriters] can be a great help to the speaker, but only if used properly. Generally, the speech writer is a better wordsmith than speaker. But since he is probably an intellectual, he relates better to the written word than tothespokenword....[A]speakercanavoidthisdilemma only by taking the time to make the speech his own. He should select the message, making the basic outline, and provide the key ideas and phrases. Richard Nixon In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal Contents preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi chapter one. A Speech at the Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 chapter two. A Speechwright’s Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 chapter three. Becoming a Speechwright. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 chapter four. On the Campaign Trail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 chapter five. The White House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 chapter six. A Brief Bureaucratic Interlude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 chapter seven. Jim Buckley and Ronald Reagan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 chapter eight. Bob Michel, Man of the House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 chapter nine. Working with the Gipper, Again. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 chapter ten. Getting the Job Done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 appendix. Richard M. Nixon, Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, Republican National Convention, Miami Beach, Florida, Thursday, August 8, 1968. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 • xi Preface For almost thirty years I made my living writing political speeches of all kinds: contributions to national convention addresses, Rose Garden remarks for a president, presidential greetings of dignitaries, college commencement addresses, Arbor Day celebrations, and senatorial and presidential campaign speeches, not to mention presidential letters, magazine articles, newspaper columns, press releases, one-liners, slogans, jokes, remarks for the floor of the House and Senate, and so many speeches praising Abraham Lincoln that I once thought of affecting a stovepipe hat. Working for President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew, presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, Senator James L. Buckley, and Representative Bob Michel, then–minority leader of the House of Representatives, I learned some things about my craft along the way. What this book lacks in scholarly rigor (I am innocent of theory, not to mention footnotes) will be made up for, I hope, by evidence of practical experience. I learned my craft a long time ago, during a time when IBM electric typewriters were the latest technological innovation for writers, when I had sideburns (indeed, when I had hair) and wore double-knit suits. The cold war, riots in American cities, the shutting down of American campuses by demonstrators, and the war in Vietnam were all going on at the same time. Popular culture was changing dramatically. In political and social terms, it was eons ago. But some things in politics are eternal, and one of them is how speech drafts are turned into speeches. So...