The Danube Institute and the Department of Political Science of Pázmány Péter Catholic University invited us to a lecture on 23 September, 2014. The guest lecturer was Clark S. Judge, a former speechwriter of the White House, founder of the White House Writers Group.
We were pretty excited to see the man, who worked for Vice President George Bush, and President Ronald Reagan. Kálmán Pócza – Head of the Department – opened the lecture. As an outset, Clark S. Judge asked us who we were, who we were working for, what we were studying. No strains, no pressure, just a man wanting to know a little bit more about his audience. Whether he did it on purpose or not, it worked, we were relieved. His first statement was filled with self-irony: „I tell a lot of jokes, and I expect you to laugh at them!" And so we were laughing, but not because we had to...
In his hour-long lecture Judge answered the most frequently asked questions about his job.
How did you become the President's speechwriter? „They called.” In 1980 he worked as a volunteer in the Reagan campaign. After the election he joined the administration and got to know the speechwriter of Vice President George Bush. One day he asked Judge: „We are looking for a new speechwriter, do you know someone?" He applied and got the job. One day he had to meet his new boss, the Vice President of the United States. Judge walked into Bush's office – eager to make a good first impression. But as he was crossing the office, he tumbled over the carpet, and fell onto the desk. „I literally fell into the job." – he said.
How could you describe the speaking styles of the presidents? „It's like music." Reagan was like a symphony. He was able to pass over emotions through his voice and his body language. Clinton was like jazz. Bush’s style can be compared to country music. In Obama, two styles are mixed, jazz and gospel. ‘Their style reflects their personalities.’ – explained Judge.
Did speech writing change a lot since the eighties? In President Reagan’s time, there were only a few radio stations and dominant newspapers. Television programmes transmitted only 10-20 seconds from a speech. Therefore writers were under pressure, to write something truly memorable. Today we live in the ‘information age’. Everything has changed. We have dozens of TV channels, radio stations, not to mention the internet.
Which was your best speech? Judge didn't speak about his best speech. Instead, he told us the story of a colleague, Peter.Peter worked in Reagan’s speechwriter team and traveled to Berlin in 1987, before writing the famous ‘Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!’ speech. During his visit to Berlin every diplomat advised him not to mention the Wall in the speech. One evening Peter had dinner with non-politicians. During the conversation, he asked them: ‘I hear that people here don't care about the Wall. Is that true?’. The first answer was: ‘My sister lives on the other side of the Wall. I didn't see her since it was built. What do you think?’
Usually, the President is the last person to read through a speech. He only sees the final form, the one which has previously been approved by a dozen writers and politicians. This time was an exception. The President had the chance to read through the speech before it was approved by all the others. He immediately deiced that the part about the Berlin Wall should stay in. As it turned out, he was the only one who thought that is was a good idea. No one could convince the President otherwise. Today the ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!’ speech is one of the most well-known Reagan speeches.
‘You have to take a lot of things into account when writing a speech. Style, humor, presentation, they are all important. But at the end of the day, what really matters is what you believe in. That you write for the person you believe in...’
Are speechwriters strong political actors? Do they have actually influence on politics? It depends. Kennedy had a team of 20 writers, Reagan one of 200. “Every speech is a proposal to the President".
In which cases do you need a full written speech, and in which are notes enough?
In most cases speakers only use notes. Politicians on this level are used to speak in front of a crowd. It's easier for them to have some. But there is always a rehearsal beforehand. Even Reagan, who was a trained speaker, practiced every speech.
Judge looked around and thanked for our attention. It was an honest, diverse, funny and instructive lecture. On our way out we said goodbye and shock hands with the former speech writer of the White House.
23.09.2014.Krisztina Tóth
