Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Cyrano

(15,023 posts)
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 03:56 PM Jun 2020

Joe Biden needs an eloquent speechwriter

Today, he spoke for about 23 minutes. Everything he said was true, he nailed Trump to the wall, and he gave us a good reason to vote for Joe Biden.

But it lacked much that anyone will remember. It lacked inspiration. It lacked eloquence.

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address had 272 words, lasted two or three minutes and was perhaps the greatest speech in American history. As Shakespeare said: "Brevity is the soul of wit."

I don't expect any candidate to deliver a Gettysburg Address. But most people can quote lines from FDR and JFK. They both knew how to inspire. They both understood eloquence. Not to mention the immortal words of a man who never ran for president, MLK.

Joe, I think you'll probably win in November no matter what you say or do. But every Republican presidential election in this century has been stolen. In 2000, the Supreme Court appointed George W. Bush. In 2004, Bush got a second term due to a stolen election in Ohio. And how many people really believe that the 2016 election was "won" fair and square by the orange creature.

To wrest the presidency away from the beast inhabiting the White House, and to totally annihilate the Republican Party's control of the senate, we're going to need the biggest turnout in history. And Joe, that means inspiring people.

Joe, please, please find a speech writer that can move people and who can touch their souls. There are many great ones out there. Many of them are screen writers who wrote shows like "The West Wing" and "Madame Secretary." You know who they are. They are eloquent. They inspire. They write speeches that "sing." Hire them. And then speak their words with the passion that we all know is in you.

42 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Joe Biden needs an eloquent speechwriter (Original Post) Cyrano Jun 2020 OP
I agree. NotAPuppet Jun 2020 #1
Lotta that was Obama though greenjar_01 Jun 2020 #4
I hear that this Obama guy is out of work whistler162 Jun 2020 #16
He is not out of work. He's busy winning Oscars, making movies, doing tons of stuff TeamPooka Jun 2020 #34
I think most of them are busy MissB Jun 2020 #23
To you. LakeArenal Jun 2020 #2
I thought it was an excellent speech. northoftheborder Jun 2020 #3
Really? I heard it and I thought it was very eloquent. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2020 #5
So did I! get the red out Jun 2020 #14
I loved it too. MoonRiver Jun 2020 #40
Disagree matt819 Jun 2020 #6
I thought he did a good job! Joe is Joe his compassion and empathy are what people remember Thekaspervote Jun 2020 #7
More important to be authentic than frazzled Jun 2020 #8
THIS! +69 Brainfodder Jun 2020 #33
I guess we watched different speeches. Music Man Jun 2020 #9
I think he snowybirdie Jun 2020 #10
I've never thought Biden was great at speeches but qazplm135 Jun 2020 #11
He's doing just fine. He's a rare individual who has so much experience to draw on Mike 03 Jun 2020 #12
I thought it was great. The best speech so far from Joe. panader0 Jun 2020 #13
Yes, it was his best speech so far Cyrano Jun 2020 #17
I can't breathe dsc Jun 2020 #19
really? ... stillcool Jun 2020 #15
That speech did move me. It did touch my soul. crickets Jun 2020 #18
This! n/t MFGsunny Jun 2020 #29
Some Folks are Expecting Obama Level Oratory and That's Unfair to Biden Indykatie Jun 2020 #20
His speech will not be compared to Obama, it will be compared to Trump. tinrobot Jun 2020 #21
My ideal speechwriting team DFW Jun 2020 #22
I thought it was pitch perfect lunatica Jun 2020 #24
I'm another who heard a different speech than you. n/t blitzen Jun 2020 #25
Seriously? StarfishSaver Jun 2020 #26
This message was self-deleted by its author trof Jun 2020 #27
It was a great speech. SoonerPride Jun 2020 #28
I thought it was a great speech and like Joe, it was authentic. Demsrule86 Jun 2020 #30
Obama wrote/edited large portions, if not all of his speeches Wanderlust988 Jun 2020 #31
Lincoln considered his Gettysburg speech a failure. There was no reaction from the Blue_true Jun 2020 #32
I hear you. I can only hope that Joe's speech will be Cyrano Jun 2020 #35
Yes, it's only considered a great speech historically. DrToast Jun 2020 #36
A lot of things are adjudicated in that manner. Blue_true Jun 2020 #42
lol Drunken Irishman Jun 2020 #37
Agree with you. There were more than a few paragraphs that should have been cut. Doremus Jun 2020 #38
... mcar Jun 2020 #39
Nah. He spoke from the heart. He needs to keep doing that. tman Jun 2020 #41

NotAPuppet

(326 posts)
1. I agree.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 03:58 PM
Jun 2020

His speech, while good, could have been a lot more powerful. He should hire Obama’s speechwriter.

 

whistler162

(11,155 posts)
16. I hear that this Obama guy is out of work
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:24 PM
Jun 2020

at the moment, like a lot of other people! Maybe Joe can hire him to write speeches.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
5. Really? I heard it and I thought it was very eloquent.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 03:59 PM
Jun 2020

Biden's speaking style is fairly restrained, though, and sometimes the eloquence of the words doesn't come through as well as it would with a more dynamic speaker. I loved his speech and it did touch my soul.

get the red out

(13,459 posts)
14. So did I!
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:16 PM
Jun 2020

We got a bit spoiled by Obama's amazing delivery, so far as Dems go.

Maybe because I'm just a rough-edged old Kentucky gal, but I got all revved up listening to his speech! "Yea, give it to 'em Uncle Joe!"

matt819

(10,749 posts)
6. Disagree
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:01 PM
Jun 2020

It was a speech that reflected who he is. He’s not a grand orator, but what he says you can feel us straight from the heart. And I think he and his speech writers captured that essence.

Thekaspervote

(32,606 posts)
7. I thought he did a good job! Joe is Joe his compassion and empathy are what people remember
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:01 PM
Jun 2020

And like the best about him.

That’s always memorable

frazzled

(18,402 posts)
8. More important to be authentic than
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:02 PM
Jun 2020

to be able to read somebody else's speech. Any actor or public speaker can read a speech.

There was some good writing in there. Biden just likes to extemporize a bit in his own way in places. I think people like the folksy Joe they know.

Music Man

(1,181 posts)
9. I guess we watched different speeches.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:06 PM
Jun 2020

I thought today's was one of Joe's finest. As others have mentioned, it was authentic, the speech that was needed at this moment, and I dare say eloquent in the way that Joe is. He provoked many interesting thoughts in me.

snowybirdie

(5,191 posts)
10. I think he
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:06 PM
Jun 2020

did fine. Made good points and got the message across. Remember, he's a lifelong stutterer and needs to speak slowly to overcome this. Can any Democrat actually fault him after we've had 5 years of listening to the Orange menace?

qazplm135

(7,447 posts)
11. I've never thought Biden was great at speeches but
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:07 PM
Jun 2020

sorry, that was a very very good speech. It had both eloquence and inspiration.

There isn't going to be another Obama for a generation, folks need to stop expecting everyone to be him.

Mike 03

(16,616 posts)
12. He's doing just fine. He's a rare individual who has so much experience to draw on
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:09 PM
Jun 2020

that if you try to "improve" the way he presents himself it's likely to be a mistake. He probably has a speechwriter on hand (if he needs one) who has spent so much time with him that the writer can almost channel Joe Biden and that's why he's so authentic and sincere when he speaks. As a writer, when someone evokes that degree of sincerity, you really should rejoice and use a light touch. Contrast him with Trump, who reads words that are meant to evoke compassion and it comes off as cynical and laughable.

panader0

(25,816 posts)
13. I thought it was great. The best speech so far from Joe.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:13 PM
Jun 2020

Sorry it didn't touch you.
He's not Obama, but that was a great speech.

Cyrano

(15,023 posts)
17. Yes, it was his best speech so far
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:26 PM
Jun 2020

But can you give me a quote or two from it, or a couple of memorable lines?

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

"Ask not what you're country can do for you ..."

"I have a dream ..."

I'm not expecting him to be Obama. But I am asking for a few outstanding words/concepts here and there that soar.

We all know the passion and compassion that Joe Biden has in his heart. What I believe is needed are a few lines that can touch the passion and compassion of virtually everyone in America.

crickets

(25,896 posts)
18. That speech did move me. It did touch my soul.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 04:31 PM
Jun 2020

It was eloquent, inspirational, and comforting. I would much rather hear and be touched by a sincere speech that accomplishes that than worry whether it was written by a Hollywood script writer.

Indykatie

(3,691 posts)
20. Some Folks are Expecting Obama Level Oratory and That's Unfair to Biden
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 05:25 PM
Jun 2020

They must write words that Biden are comfortable giving or the speech will feel inauthentic. I thought the speech was fine. I like Biden's tone and delivery style but Obama it ain't and won't ever be.

tinrobot

(10,848 posts)
21. His speech will not be compared to Obama, it will be compared to Trump.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 05:33 PM
Jun 2020

On that front, he knocked it out of the park.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
24. I thought it was pitch perfect
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 05:49 PM
Jun 2020

It brought tears to my eyes because I know what he says when he talks about someone so dear to you dying. That loss is everything to George Floyd’s family and they will feel the pain for the rest of their lives and it will hurt just as much each time.

Response to Cyrano (Original post)

SoonerPride

(12,286 posts)
28. It was a great speech.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 06:08 PM
Jun 2020

If you make it too flowery and overly verbose it doesn’t land with the average person.

Plain spoken empathy is the most eloquent speech needed.

Wanderlust988

(509 posts)
31. Obama wrote/edited large portions, if not all of his speeches
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 06:28 PM
Jun 2020

Obama is a wordsmith and it's hard for Biden to replicate that. But yeah, it wouldn't hurt to have a crew of speechwriters to help him out now that he can afford them.

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
32. Lincoln considered his Gettysburg speech a failure. There was no reaction from the
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 06:46 PM
Jun 2020

crowd. I don't know what newspaper editors of the time thought. Lincoln folded the speech, put in his pocket and sat down, it was said that he never looked at the speech text again.

A speech, in time, becomes long-lasting because eventhough the speaker might not have realized it as such after giving it, like Lincoln didn't realize the endurance of his address. But what happens is that in time, evaluators realize that the speech perfectly capture the essence of the time that it was given in. What we need now is a president that feels real moral outrage, feels empathy and that we can see that in him, we don't and never had any of that from Trump, everything for him is a show, an emotional transaction. Biden's speech today will be rated by the annals of time as to whether it captured an important essence, an important need in the nation at the time that it was delivered, present evaluations of it are meaningless.

Cyrano

(15,023 posts)
35. I hear you. I can only hope that Joe's speech will be
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 07:06 PM
Jun 2020

considered the right words at the right time and that those words will make a difference.

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
42. A lot of things are adjudicated in that manner.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 07:59 PM
Jun 2020

Herman Melville is arguably the greatest American writer and one of the greatest in history, but if he had not married into a prominent family, he would have died in poverty, as it was, he had to borrow money from his father-in-law to make ends meet. He worked as a Customs Inspector for years toward the end of his life, a job his prominent father-in-law likely helped him get into.

John Steinbeck worked as a farmhand, a ranch hand and a construction worker as he struggled to get noticed as a writer.

Some of history's greatest composers, play wrights, painters, whose work is now celebrated and at times sells for hundreds of millions, died in poverty, unable to support themselves with their artistry.

There are exceptions, Samuel Clements and F. Scott Fitzgerald were largely celebrated and financially rewarded in their day, as was Steinbeck eventually.

I believe that one of our critical issues as progressives is that we often use historical context, an image that has been refined by time, to provide guidance in modern times. The Right doesn't do that, they ignore historical precedent and ethics and focus like a laser on what they want today. So Harry Reid lets historical precedent guide him in filling Judge openings, Mitch McConnell doesn't give a shit about precedent, his plan all along if he regained power was to pack the Courts with incompetent ideologues, even if that meant ignoring historical procedure, like giving a sitting President a hearing on a Court nominee. So, when I read Cyrano's OP, a person who I have a lot of respect for and generally agree with, I got a sickly feeling inside my stomach that it was alarmist and set an unachievable and inappropriate standard for Joe and as a consequence, unintentionally took the wind out of the sails of some people here. I felt that Cyrano missed the essence of what we need in our time now, a person that we can see trying to grasp the national pain and uncertainty, a person who is searching for the right solutions, imperfect as those elements can be at times. A person, warts and all, who touches on the very essence of what we as a nation are searching for. Joe's speech in time will be rated by those elements, not his ability to semi-robotically read a professionally prepared speech from a TelePrompTer.

Doremus

(7,261 posts)
38. Agree with you. There were more than a few paragraphs that should have been cut.
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 07:24 PM
Jun 2020

One sentence was so verbose it took me a minute to realize he wasn't referring to Black Lives Matter in a negative tone, but rather Trump.

Adding to the problem is the fact that he tends to mumble and speak way too fast. He's got to slow down and enunciate his words.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Joe Biden needs an eloque...