Former President Bill Clinton’s chief speechwriter David Kusnet compared the speaking styles of Clinton and President George W. Bush last night, focusing on Bush’s State of the Union Address.
According to Kusnet, who worked during Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and the first two years of his presidency, Bush’s style of speaking is much simpler than Clinton’s.
Kusnet said that Clinton’s complex speaking style allows him to function as preacher, teacher or adept political speaker.
“Make no mistake about it, Bill Clinton is the best extemporaneous speaker of our time,” Kusnet said.
Unlike Clinton’s, President Bush’s style of speaking is similar to a “simple declarative sentence.” Bush avoids the use of complex sentences and long words, Kusnet said. He pointed out that Bush rarely used words with more than two syllables in his Joint Session speech after Sept. 11.
According to Kusnet, the president’s scripted remarks must closely represent the “informal utterances” of the president’s everyday life. As seen in the case of former vice president Dan Quayle, the public immediately recognized the discontinuity between Quayle’s scripted and off-the-record remarks. In contrast, Kusnet believes that President Bush’s speechwriters effectively incorporate Bush’s everyday language into his formal speeches.
“The president speaks to America, for America and authoritatively as America,” Kusnet said.
