The former president understood that debates are not about zingers or memorizing numbers—they’re all about stagecraft.
David Kusnet
David Kusnet was President Bill Clinton's chief speechwriter from 1992 through 1994 and was a speechwriter for Democratic presidential nominees Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis. He is the senior writer at the Podesta Group, a government-relations and public-relations firm.
Posted inFeatures
Talking American
Now that Democrats desperately want a presidential candidate who speaks passionately, speaks to the point, and speaks like a normal person and not a politician, one contender answers their prayers. Too bad his target is his own party. Former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.) begins his speeches by asking, “What I want to know is why […]
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Family Style
In his new book, In Praise of Nepotism, Adam Bellow, an executive editor at Doubleday and the son of novelist Saul Bellow, argues that there’s good reason to hire the sons and daughters of distinguished people: They know the family business, they have a legacy to live up to and the ease of their ascent […]
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Seriously Now
Howard Dean has been well-served by the rusty ritual of presidential contenders pausing from their campaign travels to go home and formally declare their candidacies. Subtly but effectively, in yesterday’s “announcement speech,” Dean recast his candidacy from a protest campaign targeting his fellow Democrats at least as much as President Bush to a populist movement […]
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First Blood
When the Democratic presidential contenders face off in their first nationally televised debate Saturday night in South Carolina, look for the peace primary to end and the populist primary to begin. The peace primary’s winner was Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). A decorated Vietnam veteran, he enjoys instant credibility on national security and has the potential […]
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Debatable Points
Democrats were lucky that their presidential candidates’ debate Saturday night was an invitation-only event for political junkies, aired live in Washington and rebroadcast on C-SPAN several times Sunday. The nine contenders weren’t ready for prime time, anyway. The closest thing to a winner was former vice-presidential nominee and current Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), who coherently […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Below the Beltway
I n a recent address to the Catholic Press Association, Bob Dole sketched out a culturally conservative agenda on social issues. But when it came to welfare, Dole, at one point, portrayed teenage mothers with rare charity: “We are just beginning to recognize that perhaps half of the fathers of [their] babies are grown men, […]
