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00:00:03
Unidentified Speaker, -
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PRESIDENTS THEY SERVED. THIS PROGRAM IS ABOUT 1 HOUR AND 50 MINUTES. >> GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS RUTH ROBBINS, AND ON...
00:00:23
Unidentified Speaker, -
A REAL PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU ALL HERE TONIGHT FOR OUR PROGRAM WITH PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH WRITERS. BEFORE WE BEGIN, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU TO TURN...
00:02:35
Unidentified Speaker, -
I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY CLASS FROM AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IS HERE, AND I JUST WANT TO -- SO, THEY'RE GOING TO WRITE A PAPER ON THIS SO I HOPE YOUR...
00:06:56
Unidentified Speaker, -
THEY CAN. IS THAT BETTER? >>
00:06:57
Unidentified Speaker, -
NO. >>
00:07:00
Unidentified Speaker, -
00:07:02
Unidentified Speaker, -
00:07:03
Unidentified Speaker, -
NO?
00:07:09
Unidentified Speaker, -
IS THAT BETTER? OH, THERE YOU GO. OKAY. OKAY. WE'RE ALREADY GETTING APPLAUSE AND WE'VE BARELY STARTED. ONE THING I WANTED TO START OUT WITH IS I'VE...
00:08:10
Unidentified Speaker, -
JEFFERSON. >> DID YOU AGREE WITH THAT? >> OF COURSE. YES. >> OKAY. GREAT. WELL, THE ONE THING THAT
00:08:21
Unidentified Speaker, -
I THINK WE CAN
00:08:22
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALL AGREE
00:08:24
Unidentified Speaker, -
ON IS THE MAKING OF HISTORY THAT SO MANY OF OUR PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN. I WONDERED IF FOR THE SPEECHWRITER, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAITS...
00:08:52
Unidentified Speaker, -
AND SPEECHWRITERS. BILL CLINTON NEVER HAD A SPEECHWRITER BEFORE HE BECAME PRESIDENT, AND HE WASN'T ENTIRELY COMFORTABLE BEING HANDED EVEN BEAUTIFULLY...
00:10:24
Unidentified Speaker, -
MEETING THAT I HAD WITH PRESIDENT BUSH WHEN HE WAS GOVERNOR BUSH OF TEXAS,
00:10:28
Unidentified Speaker, -
HE QUOTED TO ME ROWLAND OSTERWEIS ON RHETORIC, WHO WAS A PROFESSOR AT YALE UNIVERSITY HE HAD HAD AS A YOUNG MAN ON THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICAL...
00:12:10
Unidentified Speaker, -
AS A PERSON? HIS POLICIES? >> WELL, THE WAY IT EVENTUALLY WORKED OUT, YOU KNOW, I HAD THE ADVANTAGE. I WENT DOWN VERY EARLY IN SPRING OF 1999, AND...
00:12:20
Unidentified Speaker, -
GET LUNCH WITH THE PRESIDENT. THIS IS BEFORE HE WAS A DECLARED CANDIDATE, AND WE WOULD WORK ON HIS ANNOUNCEMENT REMARKS. I ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH AND...
00:13:30
Unidentified Speaker, -
WAS VERY CLEAR. WHAT DID HE MOST VALUE IN SPEECHWRITERS? WHAT MADE IT WORK FOR HIM? >> HE WAS A VERY EASY PERSON TO WRITE FOR, BECAUSE YOU SAID HE...
00:13:42
Unidentified Speaker, -
KNEW. HE HAD A DEFINITE PERSONALITY AND STYLE YOU COULD WRITE FOR. SO, HE WASN'T DEMANDING AT ALL. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GET SPEECHES BACK AND THEY'D...
00:15:31
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOUR MIND? >> I HAVE SUMMED UP WHENEVER I WRITE OR LECTURE ABOUT SPEECH WRITING THE FOUR QUALITIES THAT I THINK
00:15:43
Unidentified Speaker, -
A GOOD SPEECH SHOULD HAVE, AND OBVIOUSLY I GOT THAT FROM MY 11 YEARS WORKING WITH JOHN F. KENNEDY. THE NICE PART OF IT IS THEY'RE EASY TO REMEMBER. CHARITY,...
00:16:13
Unidentified Speaker, -
CHRIS MATTHEWS HAS NOW JOINED US. I WANTED TO ASK HIM THE SAME THING. WE TALKED EARLIER, I TALKED TO ALL OF OUR PANELISTS IN ADVANCE A LITTLE BIT. AND...
00:16:39
Unidentified Speaker, -
F. KENNEDY I THINK WAS REALLY UNIQUE. IT WAS HISTORIC AND I THINK THE TEMPLATE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS COME AFTER, THAT CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WHERE THE...
00:18:54
Unidentified Speaker, -
MY THOUGHTS. >> WELL, ON THE -- >> NOT IN CARTER'S
00:18:58
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIARY IS ONE
00:18:59
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF HIS
00:19:00
Unidentified Speaker, -
SPEECHWRITERS WENT OVER TO THE
00:19:01
Unidentified Speaker, -
ENEMY, TIP O'NEIL. >> I REMEMBER
00:19:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT. I WONDERED IF -- >> HE WAS EASIER TO WRITE
00:19:11
Unidentified Speaker, -
FOR. I ENVY THOSE WHO HAVE BOSSES WHO ARE DEDUCTIVE IN THEIR THINKING, WHO HAVE A PHILOSOPHY FROM WHICH
00:19:17
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU CAN DEDUCE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKELY SAY ON AN OCCASION TO A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE. I WORKED FOR A MAN WHO WAS ENTIRELY INDUCTIVE, JIMMY CARTER. YOU...
00:19:52
Unidentified Speaker, -
CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? WHEN TED SORENSEN DID IT, YOU DIDN'T HAVE THIS 24-HOUR NEWS CYCLE. YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE BLOGGERS AND THE INTERNET AND SO ON...
00:20:08
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOW? WAY IT IS NOW AND WE'LL
00:20:10
Unidentified Speaker, -
GO TO THE REST OF OUR PANEL. >> I THINK THESE GENTLEMEN WILL TESTIFY THAT OVER THE YEARS MORE AND MORE SPEECH WRITERS WERE ADDED ON UNTIL IT
00:20:21
Unidentified Speaker, -
BECAME A DEPARTMENT AND AS A RESULT, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO MY COLLEAGUES, ALL OF WHOM I KNOW AND ADMIRE, THERE IS NOW GROUP AUTHORSHIP IS QUITE COMMON....
00:20:41
Unidentified Speaker, -
WAY. >> I THINK PRESIDENTS GIVE TOO MANY SPEECHES.
00:20:45
Unidentified Speaker, -
I THINK IT HAS BEEN DEVALED AND DEMEANED.
00:20:49
Unidentified Speaker, -
AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE GET TIRED OF HEARING PRESIDENTS THESE DAYS. >> MIKE, DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? >> I AGREE WITH THAT. WE DID ANYWHERE FROM ONE...
00:21:01
Unidentified Speaker, -
A DAY THAT REQUIRED
00:21:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
REMARKS, TALKING POINTS TO A UNITED NATIONS SPEECH. WE HAD SOME ADVANTAGES IN THAT THE PRESIDENT THAT WAS WILLING TO INVEST TIME ON THE LARGER SPEECHES...
00:22:22
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE TRADITIONAL PACE. THERE WOULD BE 20 DRAFTS. WE WOULD START GOING THROUGH THE OUTLINE, THE THEMATIC STRUCTURE, WRITING AND WRITING AND REHEARSING....
00:23:54
Unidentified Speaker, -
A LOT OF THAT STUFF BACK IN THE JOHNSON DAYS. I HAD TO WRITE THE NOTES FOR THE ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPEECH ONE YEAR, IRONICALLY. AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE...
00:26:05
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE MEDIA I GUESS LIND LYNDON JOHNSON SAID IF YOU LOSE WALTER CRONKITE YOU LOSE AMERICA SHOWING HOW IMPORTANT ONE SINGLE NEWS PERSON WAS. DEALING WITH...
00:26:37
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALL NEW. IT WAS NOT ONLY THE WHITE HOUSE THAT HAD TO DEAL WITH IT BUT THE MEDIA AS WELL. TRADITIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS WOULD READ A STORY ON A WEBSITE SOME...
00:27:46
Unidentified Speaker, -
WORD A PRESIDENT IS SAYING, WHETHER IT IS TO A COUPLE OF REPORTERS OR TO THE NATION, IS PAID ATTENTION TO SO INTENSELY AROUND THE WORLD. REMEMBER,...
00:28:24
Unidentified Speaker, -
FOR WEEKS, SEVEN OR EIGHT WEEKS WAS LIVE ON TELEVISION AT THE TIME. PEOPLE -- THE WORDS REALLY MATTER IN A MOMENT LIKE THAT. PEOPLE WERE SHAKEN. THEY...
00:31:54
Unidentified Speaker, -
I WONDERED IN DEALING WITH HIM AS A SPEECHWRITER HOW MUCH DID HE NEED ANY GUIDANCE IN DEALING WITH TELEVISION OR DID HE PRETTY MUCH UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING...
00:32:14
Unidentified Speaker, -
HUMOR. HE WAS A MASTER. YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT. >> RIGHT. >> MIKE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING WHO IS A PRESIDENT
00:32:24
Unidentified Speaker, -
00:32:28
Unidentified Speaker, -
IS. MIKE DAVID TOLD ME ONCE HE WAS -- THIS WAS IN THE EARLY YEARS, HE WAS ALWAYS ASKING REAGAN, WELL, WHO THESE OLD ACTORS WERE. HE WOULD SAY WHAT WAS...
00:33:21
Unidentified Speaker, -
LINE.
00:33:23
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS PUT HIMSELF INTO IT. HE WOULD DELIVER IT LOW KEY. AND HE KNEW THAT THERE WERE TIMES -- >> BECAUSE OF TELEVISION THE IMPACT...
00:33:41
Unidentified Speaker, -
WANTED TO ASK YOU IS YOU HAD, AS I RECALL, WROTE
00:33:45
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE IRAN CONTRA SPEECH
00:33:47
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN WHICH HE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL REMEMBER THAT. THAT WAS A HIGH VELOCITY, VERY INTENSE PERIOD FOR THE WHITE HOUSE AND SPEECHWRITERS....
00:34:18
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE TOWER COMMISSION IS GOING TO GIVE HIS REPORT. >> THEY WERE INVESTIGATING. >> I HAD LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE AT THAT TIME BUT I WAS STILL DOING THINGS
00:34:27
Unidentified Speaker, -
FOR THEM. BUT WHAT HAPPENED WAS IN
00:34:29
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE MIDDLE OF IT DON REAGAN WAS FIRED AND THE NEW CHIEF OF STAFF BAKER WAS COMING IN. I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO GO. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. BEFORE...
00:36:53
Unidentified Speaker, -
IT HELPED HIM
00:36:54
Unidentified Speaker, -
GET ON TO DEALING WITH THE SOVIETS AND THE ARMS -- >> BUT HE NEVER REALLY BELIEVED HE HAD DONE IT. >> NO. IN AUGUST AFTER OLLIE
00:37:06
Unidentified Speaker, -
NORTH TESTIFIED
00:37:08
Unidentified Speaker, -
HE TOTALLY BACK SLID AND WE DID A SPEECH TO -- AN ADDRESS TO THE NATION AND THE PRESIDENT WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IRAN CONTRA AND THE WHITE HOUSE...
00:37:39
Unidentified Speaker, -
PRESIDENT AKCKNOWLEDGED HE HAD
00:37:43
Unidentified Speaker, -
TRADED ARMS FOR HOSTAGES AND HE FIRED OLLIE NORTH AND THEN GAVE HIM THE MEDAL OF FREEDOM. IT WAS CRAZY. THAT'S ALL. >> THAT'S ANOTHER PANEL DISCUSSION....
00:38:01
Unidentified Speaker, -
THERE WAS ONE MEETING, THIS WAS FOR THE FOLLOWING THE TESTIMONY
00:38:07
Unidentified Speaker, -
FOR CONGRESS FOR OLLIE NORTH. IF PRESIDENT WROTE HIS OWN SPEECH THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. I MEAN, IT WOULD HAVE OPENED UP THE WHOLE ISSUE AGAIN...
00:39:07
Unidentified Speaker, -
SPEECH THAT SAID NOTHING BUT
00:39:09
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIDN'T SET US BACK. >> YOU ALL MUST HAVE HAD THE SAME DYNAMIC WHERE THE PRESIDENT IS DOING SOMETHING HE ISSER THIS WRONG ABOUT IT, YOU HAVE TO
00:39:20
Unidentified Speaker, -
TRY TO PERSUADE HIM TO BUDGE FROM IT. YOU HEARD HOW LANDON HANDLED IT. HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT WHEN YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT IS WRONG, MAKING A WRONG...
00:39:45
Unidentified Speaker, -
WITH. >> VERY GOOD. >> OKAY, WELL, SEE BREVITY IS THE SOUL
00:39:55
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF WITT. SO ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW YOU'D
00:39:59
Unidentified Speaker, -
HANDLE IT IF YOU THOUGHT A PRESIDENT WAS ON THE WRONG TRACK? JUMP RIGHT IN. >> THERE IS A POINT IN WHICH IT IS NOT YOUR SPEECH. IT IS ACTUALLY HIS....
00:40:13
Unidentified Speaker, -
THIS AS A MINOR THING. BUT THE PRESIDENT, YOU KNOW, BEING A FORMER BASEBALL OWNER WANTED TO PUT IN THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS SOMETHING ABOUT STEROID...
00:40:36
Unidentified Speaker, -
AND HE WAS DEEPLY MORALLY OFFENDED.
00:40:39
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY POLICY RELATED TO THIS. BUT HE KEPT INSISTING IN THIS PROCESS. AT SOME POINT YOU GIVE IN. AND WE DID IT IN THE STATE OF THE UNION...
00:41:53
Unidentified Speaker, -
WAS A VISUAL JOKE ABOUT KIND OF THIS UPSET DOG BUT IT BECAME A MASSIVE INTERNAL ARGUMENT IN THE SENIOR STAFF MEETING IN THE ROOSEVELT ROOM. >> I DIDN'T...
00:42:10
Unidentified Speaker, -
WAS DEEPLY
00:42:11
Unidentified Speaker, -
OPPOSED TO THE PRESIDENT USING THE WORD TESTICLES. IT WAS DEEMED UNPRESIDENTIAL. JOSH BOLTON AND I THOUGHT WE WERE PRO-TESTICLE. >> JOSH BOLTON IS...
00:42:31
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE DID THIS AND AT THE END OF THE
00:42:33
Unidentified Speaker, -
DAY THOUGH MY PERSONAL VIEW, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THIS, I THINK THE FIRST LADY INTERVENED AND THE TESTICLES WERE GONE. >> IT IS A VERY INTERESTING PHENOMENON...
00:42:51
Unidentified Speaker, -
WASHINGTON, THE GRIDIRON AND THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER, THEY TOOK MORE PREPARATION THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER SPEECHES. MANY OF THESE POLITICIANS...
00:44:16
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE TIME. I JUST GOT
00:44:18
Unidentified Speaker, -
MARRIED. WE STAYED UP LATE. THE SINGLE GUY MENTALITY AND TAKE THE SPEECHES OVER AND PUT THEM IN THE DARK ROOM. THE PLACE YOU PUT THEM IN AND A MARINE...
00:45:27
Unidentified Speaker, -
TAKE RISKS
00:45:28
Unidentified Speaker, -
AND TRY DIFFERENT THINGS. HE WAS A LOT OF
00:45:30
Unidentified Speaker, -
FUN. >> ON THE HUMOR, TELL US ABOUT THAT WHOLE LAST CORRESPONDENCE DINNER WITH THE VIDEO WHERE EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT
00:45:40
Unidentified Speaker, -
WAS HILARIOUS WHERE HE WAS RETURNING HIMSELF AS THE SORT OF ALONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE BY HIMSELF, HILLARY WAS OUT RUNNING FOR THE SENATE, HE DIDN'T...
00:46:14
Unidentified Speaker, -
DAY. >> IT WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THESE DINNERS. BUT TED SORENSEN,
00:46:21
Unidentified Speaker, -
PRESIDENT KENNEDY IS KNOWN FOR HIS SENSE OF HUMOR, INTERNALLY, DEALING WITH HIM, WAS HE A JOKE TELLER? DID HE UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF WHAT HUMOR...
00:46:45
Unidentified Speaker, -
WIT THAN ANYTHING ELSE BUT ALSO SELF-DEPRECATING. IT ALL BEGAN IN 1958, TWO YEARS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL RUN WHEN HE WAS ASKED TO BE THE DEMOCRATIC...
00:47:35
Unidentified Speaker, -
EVENTS. SOME OF THEM WERE VERY FUNNY. THE ONLY TIME THERE WAS A
00:47:39
Unidentified Speaker, -
CONTROVERSY, I WAS REMINDED BY THIS DISCUSSION, WAS ABOUT A YEAR INTO OFFICE HE WAS GOING TO SPEAK TO A BIG NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC DINNER HERE IN WASHINGTON...
00:48:41
Unidentified Speaker, -
BUT ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF KENNEDY'S
00:48:44
Unidentified Speaker, -
INAUGURAL, NEXT JANUARY 20th, THAT WILL BE THE 50th ANNIVERSARY. I'M SORRY TO SPOIL SOMEBODY ELSE'S SURPRISE, THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IS GOING...
00:49:47
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN WRITING SPEECHES FOR FOREIGN POLICY VERSUS DOMESTIC
00:49:52
Unidentified Speaker, -
POLICY? >> YES. YES. YES. GOING BACK TO WHAT MICHAEL
00:49:59
Unidentified Speaker, -
SAID THAT IS THE FIRST THING THE SPEECHWRITER HAS TO LEARN PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE BEEN WITH A PRESIDENT AS A CANDIDATE. A CANDIDATE CAN APPROACH...
00:52:49
Unidentified Speaker, -
RIGHT? HOW DID THE ACTUAL WORKING OF THOSE -- HARD TO FOLLOW THAT UP, ISN'T IT. I KNOW. HOW DID THE ACTUAL PREPARATION OF THOSE REMARKS WORK OUT? DID...
00:53:18
Unidentified Speaker, -
16 TO TELL ME THE U2 PLANES HAD DISCOVERED SOVIET MISSILE SITES UNDER PREPARATION 90 MILES FROM OUR SHORE IN CUBA, HE DIDN'T CALL THE NATIONAL SECURITY...
00:55:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
EXACTLY THE SAME DYNAMIC
00:55:06
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOW AS
00:55:07
Unidentified Speaker, -
THEN. WE WOULD DO ON
00:55:09
Unidentified Speaker, -
MAJOR NATIONAL SECURITY ADDRESSES PARTICULARLY AS RELATED TO WAR AND PEACE WHAT WE WOULD CALL LIMITED STAFFINGS. NORMAL STAFFING, NOT TO GO INTO TOO...
00:55:55
Unidentified Speaker, -
22, 1962, NECESSARILY HAD TO BE REVIEWED BY EACH MEMBER OF THE SO-CALLED EXCOM. THAT WAS MORE REVIEWS THAN ANY, OTHER THAN THE STATE OF THE UNION,...
00:56:32
Unidentified Speaker, -
HOW MUCH DIFFERENT IS THAT? I MEAN, YOU HAVE AN OPPONENT. YOU HAVE A WHOLE DYNAMIC ABOUT WINNING AND LOSING. IT BECOMES VERY IMMEDIATE. THE REDEMPTION...
00:56:58
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOMINATION. AND JIMMY CARTER WAS TRYING TO HOLD TOGETHER THE DEMOCRATIC COALITION SO HE HAD GONE DOWN SOUTH TO HIS HOMELAND AND GIVEN THAT SPEECH...
00:59:57
Unidentified Speaker, -
ON. THEY ARE FUN FOR THE
01:00:00
Unidentified Speaker, -
PRESIDENT. THERE IS A PRESIDENTIAL VOICE THAT PEOPLE EXPECT FROM THEIR PRESIDENT. IT WAS STRIKING WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT PRESIDENT REAGAN DURING THE GOVERNMENT...
01:03:27
Unidentified Speaker, -
TELEPROMPTER
01:03:31
Unidentified Speaker, -
BROKE DOWN AND HE WAS WINNING IT IN FRONT OF THE CONGRESS. THAT IS A BETTER STORY. >> THERE IS A PRESSURE THAT COMES WITH THAT. ONE OF THE PRESSURES...
01:03:44
Unidentified Speaker, -
SECRETARY, A TYPIST BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT WAS DOING, THIS WAS REAGAN DOING AN ADDRESS TO THE NATION AND HE AGREED TO PUT SOMETHING IN AT THE END AT...
01:04:17
Unidentified Speaker, -
DAYS, WHICH PROBABLY WEREN'T ALL THAT
01:04:21
Unidentified Speaker, -
GOOD, BUT I THINK THAT TODAY'S LEVEL OF POLITICAL RHETORIC WITH THE NAME CALLING AND THE OUTRIGHT LIES ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S RELIGION AND PLACE OF BIRTH...
01:06:11
Unidentified Speaker, -
REAGAN, DID YOU THINK IN 1960 THAT NIXON WAS A GOOD CANDIDATE? DID YOU FEEL HE WAS A FORMIDABLE OPPONENT OR WORTHY OPPONENT? >> OF COURSE HE WAS A FORMIDABLE...
01:06:26
Unidentified Speaker, -
YEARS. IN AN ADMINISTRATION THAT WAS GENERALLY WELL REGARDED FOR BOTH FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC ECONOMIC POLICY. HE WAS FAMOUS FOR OUTDEBATING KHRUSHCHEV....
01:07:27
Unidentified Speaker, -
HERE, INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE ARE THERE SORT OF AWKWARD MOMENTS THAT YOU'VE DEALT WITH IN WRITING SPEECHES IN BIG MOMENTS OF EITHER CRISIS OR ANYTHING...
01:07:56
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALFALFA CLUB DINNER. HIS FIRST COMING OUT IN WASHINGTON BEFORE HE ANNOUNCED. HIS FATHER WAS WORRIED WHETHER HE WOULD BE FUNNY. SO I WENT DOWN THERE...
01:10:57
Unidentified Speaker, -
THEIR
01:10:59
Unidentified Speaker, -
LIVES. AND YOU SEE THEM AS INDIVIDUALS. >> RIGHT. >> I MEAN, I WAS IN A SENATOR'S OFFICE ONCE WHEN HE GOT
01:11:10
Unidentified Speaker, -
WORD THAT HIS DAUGHTER WHO WAS
01:11:13
Unidentified Speaker, -
SCHIZOPHRENIC WAS OUT ON THE STREETS. I WAS IN ANOTHER OFFICE OF SOMEONE WHO WAS GOING TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT WHEN HE GOT WORD HIS BROTHER DIED. AND YOU...
01:11:59
Unidentified Speaker, -
A COUPLE OF HIGH PRESSURE SPEECHWRITER
01:12:02
Unidentified Speaker, -
MOMENTS THAT CONTAINED LESSONS FOR EVERY WOULD BE PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITER. ONCE IS THE CAMPAIGN KENNEDY WENT DOWN, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS KNOXVILLE...
01:15:16
Unidentified Speaker, -
AWKWARD MOMENT,
01:15:18
Unidentified Speaker, -
BUT IN DECEMBER OF 2004 WHEN
01:15:21
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE HAD WON RE-ELECTION I HAD -- I WAS WORKING ON THE SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS. I HAD A HEART ATTACK. >> YOU DID? >> I GET BROUGHT TO THE HOSPITAL....
01:15:40
Unidentified Speaker, -
01:15:41
Unidentified Speaker, -
MARVELOUS SAINTLY MAN, DR. TUBB, HAS ME CHECKED INTO THE HOSPITAL UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME TO AVOID PRESS CALLS AND TO ADD INSULT THERE WASN'T A SINGLE ...
01:18:11
Unidentified Speaker, -
COVERING PRESIDENT CLINTON FOR EIGHT YEARS AND THIS DIFFERENT PROCESS IN WRITING SPEECHES, EVERYTHING SORT OF MOVING ALONG QUICKLY AND BEING CHANGED...
01:18:44
Unidentified Speaker, -
WENT TO PHILADELPHIA. I HAD NOTHING TO DO. I WENT OUT TO DINNER WITH REPORTERS AND ENJOYED MYSELF IMMENSELY. WE HAD A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS. >> WE'VE...
01:19:01
Unidentified Speaker, -
LITTLE BIT. >> I REMEMBER THE SPEECH THE PRESIDENT GAVE AT THE JOINT SESSION. TED HAS HELPED WRITE FOUR OF FIVE OF THE GREATEST SPEECHES
01:19:09
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN THE LAST 100 YEARS. >> OH, THANK YOU. >> THAT SPEECH, THAT WAS THE BEST STRUCTURED SPEECH I HAVE EVER READ. IT WAS GIVE
01:19:18
Unidentified Speaker, -
THEM THAT A
01:19:19
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOUNG SPEECHWRITER AND DO IT LIKE THIS. THE STRUCTURE OF THAT SPEECH WAS SO LOGICAL THE WAY HE PRESENTED IT. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS SO COMFORTABLE...
01:19:41
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT MONICA LEWINSKY YEAR WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON WHERE A LOT OF THE -- NO. IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF HISTORY. HOW WAS THAT ON THE INSIDE? WERE YOU...
01:20:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
PLENTY OF, YOU KNOW, STORIES THROUGHOUT THE SEVEN YEARS I WORKED WITH HIM PART OF PART OF THE TIME AS A SPEECH WRITER WHERE I THINK BACK ABOUT TELEPROMPTER...
01:23:08
Unidentified Speaker, -
PERSUADE THE COUNTRY TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FLAWS IN PRIVATE CHARACTER AND PUBLIC POLICY AND ASSESS EACH DIFFERENTLY. BY THE END OF THE PRESIDENCY THE...
01:24:12
Unidentified Speaker, -
GET PAST IT. OBAMA AS
01:24:15
Unidentified Speaker, -
A COMMUNICATOR. >> THREE THINGS. ONE, THE GUY WHO SAID, I HAD TO
01:24:25
Unidentified Speaker, -
THROW UP MY LEG AND HE TALKED ABOUT OUR COUNTRY AND WHAT HE FELT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT US AS A COUNTRY. HE WAS EMBLEMATIC OF THAT. ONE OF THE LINES IN 2004,...
01:25:44
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF IT UNDER THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE. HE SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT. IT'S A CONSERVATIVE IDEA, THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE. I DON'T WANT TO BE CARTOONISH, ...
01:26:14
Unidentified Speaker, -
INTERVIEWING HIM IN TEXAS. HE SAID A PRESIDENT LIKE LINCOLN HAS TO BRING YOU ALONG AT EVERY STEP WHETHER IT'S THE CIVIL WAR WHICH HAD TO BE TAUGHT...
01:27:29
Unidentified Speaker, -
IT WAS YOUR BOSS WHEN HE HAD
01:27:31
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE DEBATE WITH GEORGE H.W. BUSH, RESPOND
01:27:36
Unidentified Speaker, -
TO THAT WOMAN. >> I WANT TO SECOND ONE THING CHRIS SAID. EVERY PRESIDENT WHO IS
01:27:45
Unidentified Speaker, -
TRANSFORMATIVE HAS A THEORY OF THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT. YOU CAN'T WALK AWAY AND HOPE NOBODY NOTICES IT. JUST AFTER 9/11 WHERE THERE WAS A TEACHABLE MOMENT...
01:29:08
Unidentified Speaker, -
INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT'S NOT HELPFUL. WHEN THE FINANCIAL CRISIS BROKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAMPAIGN THAT YEAR IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, HIS...
01:30:53
Unidentified Speaker, -
THIS MOMENT. >> I WOULD HATE TO SEE RAW POPULISM BECAUSE THAT'S OFTEN DESTRUCTIVE. WHEN YOU MAKE ENEMIES THIS AND ENEMIES
01:31:01
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT, BUT EMPATHY FOR SUFFERING IN A TIME OF GREAT SUFFERING. A PHILOSOPHIC APPROACH TO CHANGE THAT GIVES IT DEFINITION FOR PEOPLE AND TO SOME EXTENT...
01:31:41
Unidentified Speaker, -
I THINK PEOPLE ARE NOT LISTENING. THEY HAVE TUNED OUT. THEY HAVE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE. WHEN I WORK WITH A CLIENT I ALWAYS ASK THEM WHAT CAN WE SAY ...
01:32:46
Unidentified Speaker, -
SPEECHWRITERS IS PERSONALLY VERY CLOSE TO ME. I WILL TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT
01:32:50
Unidentified Speaker, -
I TELL HIM. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT DURING HIS CAMPAIGN IT WAS THE BEST POLITICAL RHETORIC SINCE JOHN F. AND ROBERT F. KENNEDY. THE BAD NEWS IS THAT STARTING...
01:33:38
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIDN'T WORK OUT. THEY SENT JOHN FAVREAU, CHIEF SPEECHWRITER, SENT A NICE NOTE BUT DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS OF SPEECHWRITING WHILE HE WAS...
01:33:58
Unidentified Speaker, -
TAKE SOME QUESTIONS
01:33:59
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOW IF PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO
01:34:03
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE MICROPHONES. WE HAVE A BIT OF TIME FOR QUESTIONS. >> THE QUESTION FOR TED SORENSON. WHEN JOHN KENNEDY CAME TO BERLIN HE SAID
01:34:19
Unidentified Speaker, -
EICH BEIN BEIRLEINER AND THAT MEANS I AM A DONUT. WAS THAT PART OF THE SPEECH? >> IF I HAD HEARD THAT, AND I'M NOT SURE I DID, BUT SOON AFTER KENNEDY...
01:34:39
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF WEST BERLIN CITY HALL SALUTING THE WEST BERLINERS FOR RESTRAINT, COURAGE, PATIENCE DURING ALL THOSE YEARS WHEN THEY WERE SURROUNDED BY COMMUNIST ...
01:35:13
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF BERLIN. AND WITH HIS EAR IT CAME UP TWICE AND THE FIRST TIME HE LISTENED VERY CLOSELY AND HIS TRANSLATOR OR INTERPRETER SAID, ICH BEIN BERLINER....
01:36:33
Unidentified Speaker, -
SAID, NO, IT WAS AN UNDERSTANDABLE, FORGIVABLE WAY OF PUTTING IT AND EVERYBODY IN THAT ENORMOUS AUDIENCE, LARGEST AUDIENCE I HAD EVER SEEN, KNEW EXACTLY...
01:37:27
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOUR AUDIENCE IS, DO YOU THINK IN TODAY'S TIME THAT MORE SPEECHWRITERS ARE FUSS CUSSFOCUSED OF HOW IT WILL PLAY OUT IN THE MEDIA VERSUS WITH THE AMERICAN...
01:38:01
Unidentified Speaker, -
I DON'T WANT TO MONOPOLIZE THIS, BUT IT IS A BIG
01:38:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAMPAIGNING AND GOVERNING.
01:38:08
Unidentified Speaker, -
WHEN YOU'RE CAMPAIGNING OF NECESSITY YOU HAVE BEEN ON AN EXHAUSTIVE 50-STATE TOUR, YOU ARE ADDRESSING THAT PARTICULAR AUDIENCE IN FRONT OF YOU BECAUSE...
01:38:45
Unidentified Speaker, -
WEEK, BY THE WAY. ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS. >> HI, GOOD EVENING. >> I'M A YOUNG NAVAL OFFICER -- I GUESS A NAVAL
01:38:55
Unidentified Speaker, -
OFFICER. NOT YOUNG ANYMORE. I'M A SERVICE
01:38:58
Unidentified Speaker, -
WARFARE OFFICER ON MY SHORE JOB NOW, WORKING IN A STAFF JOB AT THE NAVY ANNEX AND I GOT TAPPED BECAUSE THE SENIOR ADMIRAL, THE BOSS'S BOSS, READ SOME...
01:39:35
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE MILITARY. ONE OF HIS AIDS SAID TO HIM LISTENING TO McARTHUR SPEAK, OH, ISN'T GENERAL McARTHUR ELOQUENT. I SAID HE SAID, WHO DO YOU THINK WROTE HIS...
01:40:34
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN 1970 RIDING THE OVERNIGHT TRAIN WHEN I WAS IN THE PEACE CORPS READING KENNEDY BY TED SORENSON. >> THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVERICE IN...
01:40:49
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT. I WANTED TO BE TED SORENSON. [ APPLAUSE ] >>
01:40:54
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT'S VERY NICE, CHRIS. YOU WANT TO BE TED, BUT I BEAT YOU TO IT. [ APPLAUSE ] >>
01:41:08
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOBODY HAS MENTIONED UP HERE -- >> THAT'S KENNEDY HUMOR, ISN'T IT? >> NOBODY MENTIONED UP HERE THAT
01:41:17
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE ARE ALL MEMBERS OF THIS ORGANIZATION CALLED THE
01:41:20
Unidentified Speaker, -
JUDDSON T.
01:41:22
Unidentified Speaker, -
WELLIVER SOCIETY NAMED FOR THE HARDING & COOLIDGE SPEECHWRITER WHO WAS THE FIRST TO HAVE THAT OFFICIAL TITLE. THERE IS ALWAYS GOOD, TOTALLY BIPARTISAN...
01:42:28
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALTERNATE. >> HI. I MISSED THE VERY FIRST COUPLE OF MINUTES SO IF I'M ASKING A
01:42:34
Unidentified Speaker, -
QUESTION THAT'S BEEN ADDRESSED
01:42:35
Unidentified Speaker, -
I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT WHAT WAS CALLED THE POWER TO PUSH AND BASICALLY MY QUESTION IS AS A SPEECH WRITER YOU HAVE SUCH A CLOSE...
01:43:58
Unidentified Speaker, -
DOES ANYONE WANT TO GIVE A 30-SECOND ANSWER HERE? >> WELL, I WOULD RESPOND I ALWAYS,
01:44:14
Unidentified Speaker, -
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CAMPAIGN, SEVEN YEARS WORT OF THE PRESIDENT, ALWAYS
01:44:19
Unidentified Speaker, -
ASKED FOR BOTH A SPEECHWRITING AND POLICY ROLE SPECIFICALLY SO I COULD SIT IN THE MEETINGS. I WOULD HAVE HAD A REALLY TOUGH TIME COMMUNICATING ON...
01:45:33
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU ALL TALKED ABOUT GETTING TO KNOW THE PRESIDENT'S VOICE. IS IT JUST A COINCIDENCE THAT
01:45:38
Unidentified Speaker, -
ALL THE SPEECHWRITERS ARE MALE? [ APPLAUSE ] >> PEGGY NOONAN WAS, I THINK, AFTER TED SORENSON, THE BEST WHITE HOUSE SPEECHWRITER. >> PEGGY WAS ASKED
01:45:56
Unidentified Speaker, -
TO ATTEND AND SHE COULD NOT. >> PEGGY, WHEN SHE WROTE THE CHALLENGER SPEECH FROM THE TIME OF THE
01:46:03
Unidentified Speaker, -
TRAGEDY UNTIL 5:00 EASTERN WHEN HE GAVE IT, I DON'T KNOW HOW
01:46:06
Unidentified Speaker, -
SHE DID IT. IT WAS MAJESTIC. SHE CAUGHT REAGAN AND I DON'T THINK HE CHANGED A WORD. IT WAS SPECTACULAR. I DON'T THINK THERE IS A GENDER FACTOR HERE...
01:46:37
Unidentified Speaker, -
SAYING I AGREE. SHE WROTE BRILLIANT TEXTS AND AT THE SOCIETY MEANING ONE YEAR SHE WAS NOT THERE BECAUSE SHE WAS OUT ON A BOOK TOUR AND MICHAEL WALDMAN,...
01:47:29
Unidentified Speaker, -
CHRIS MATTHEWS. I JUST WONDERED IF YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR PROBLEMS WITH
01:47:35
Unidentified Speaker, -
ONSET OF WRITER'S BLOCK WRITING FOR PRESIDENT CARTER KNOWING THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL CONCEIVED CONCEIVED, COMPOSED OR WRITTEN THE SPEECH MIGHT...
01:48:09
Unidentified Speaker, -
OWN MAN AND PROBABLY IRASCIBLE IS THE RIGHT WORD FOR HIM. WE WOULD GIVE HIM A TEXT, HE WOULD ALWAYS ADD TO IT, PRETEND IT WASN'T THERE. IT WOULD BE...
01:50:17
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE APOLLO PROGRAM. I WAS AT THE KENNEDY MUSEUM AND SAW THE SPEECH AND THERE IS A SECTION WHERE HE'S ASKING WHY CLIMB A MOUNTAIN, WHY FLY THE ATLANTIC....
01:50:58
Unidentified Speaker, -
IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON THE SPEECH AND IF THE PANEL AS A WHOLE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HOW
01:51:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
A SPEECH LIKE THAT THAT MOVED A NATION TO DO SOMETHING THAT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY, NOT -- IT SEEMED THOSE OPPORTUNITIES...
01:51:43
Unidentified Speaker, -
JOHN GLEN TODAY. JOHN GLEN WAS LISTENING TO THAT SPEECH. HE SAID WITHIN A
01:51:49
Unidentified Speaker, -
DECADE, WOW. >> THIS GENTLEMAN IS TALKING ABOUT A SPEECH AT RICE UNIVERSITY. WITH THE FAMOUS -- WHY CLIMB THE
01:52:04
Unidentified Speaker, -
HIGHEST MOUNTAIN? WHY DOES RICE PLAY TEXAS? >> I THINK OUR TIME IS UP. I WANT TO THANK THE PANEL FOR JOINING US. [ APPLAUSE ] >>
01:52:15
Unidentified Speaker, -
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. I WANT TO THANK CSPAN FOR FILMING THE EVENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [ APPLAUSE ] >>>
01:52:24
Unidentified Speaker, -
EACH YEAR THE SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CONNECTS STUDENTS WITH PEOPLE WHO

NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

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