Former presidential speech writers Don Baer and Michael Gerson spoke about their experiences working for former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in Carson on Thursday afternoon. Gerson, a writer for Bush, said speech writing leaves an impression on readers and listeners. Speeches that follow nationally significant events can leave lasting impressions and even change the country's mood.
"All of a sudden, you realize that it all matters," Gerson said. "I had that realization after 9/11. When all of a sudden you're in charge of crafting words that will shape the country. It's a heavy burden."
Both speakers highlighted the fundamental differences between creating speeches that are meant for the eye and those crafted for the ear.
"I think a lot of writing, other than legal writing, ought to be written for cadence and for the ear," Baer said. "Human communication is rooted in the spoken word."
Baer's speech writing experience was minimal before he became an assistant to Clinton in 1994.
"Before I became the chief speech writer for the president of the United States, I had only written two speeches in my life," he said.
Baer studied political science and history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When asked whether his undergraduate experience played a part in his career trajectory, Baer said his passion for politics eventually drew him into presidential speech writing.
"I was always interested in politics from an early age," Baer said. "I was always interested in journalism and writing as well, and growing up in the Civil Rights era, I was inspired by social movements. In many respects, working in the White House in the job that I had was a fusion of all of those things."
Gerson was drawn to speech writing because of its wide focus and political bent.
"I was a policy person, but I wanted to be a generalist," he said. "And I also just liked the craft of being a speech writer."
Gerson, a former journalist, said his reporting skills helped advance his career.
"Speech writing used the skills I learned as a columnist, because I was paid to be a generalist," he said. "Some people like to go really deep and establish an expertise in a topic, but I wanted to have influence at this intersection between politics and policy and communication, and speech writing is a strategic way to do that."
Presidential speeches play a major role in the direction the country takes, as well as how it responds to moments of trial and tribulation.
"The voice and the word of the president of the United States can change the country, it can change the world," Baer said. "You can't always persuade people to adopt a policy, but I do think that you can, especially in a time when the nation is more pessimistic than optimistic, get people to embrace a different point of view the president can change the tone, the zeitgeist of the country."
Senior lecturer Josh Compton, who organized the lecture for the second year, said he will evaluate student interest and hopes to continue the series.
"It was a phenomenal opportunity for the students and for the larger college community to hear inside stories about the power of rhetoric," he said.
