Political speeches

I wrote some speeches for Robert F. Kennedy when he ran for the U.S. Senate in
1964. But I know that he was his forensic best when he discarded his writers’
material and spoke from his heart. His best speech, as a presidential candidate,
was his extemporaneous words to a crowd in Indiana that gathered when Martin
Luther King was shot. There was no time for a speechwriter to compose
appropriate words to deal with such a calamity. RFK’s words — spoken from his
own experience, having lost a brother (also at the hands of a white man, he
reminded the crowd) — were touching, honest and might have prevented a riot, as
happened in many other cities at that time.

So when I read that President Obama “wrote the bulk of his speech himself” in
Tucson, Ariz., last week — his extraordinary speech, I should add — I was not
surprised. He also wrote his earlier speech on race during the 2008
presidential campaign. Great men, at important times, rise to occasions by
speaking their own words — Winston Churchill’s powerful speeches during World
War II come to mind. And on those occasions, no speechwriter can create
vicariously what a great man feels and thinks at critical times. His ability to
excel at such times is one character that marks his greatness.

President Obama already ranks among the best American political orators. He
launched his career with his speech to the Democratic National Convention that
nominated Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), calling out for a less divided country. He
saved it with his speech on race when he ran in 2008; and he revived his
presidency last week in Tucson. I expect he will have more such remarkable
engagements that mark his career as it evolves.

Ronald Goldfarb, D.C. attorney and author, wrote for several national political
candidates.