Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Blue Yeti ·
Jan 21, 2011 at 12:43pm
In this special edition of The Ricochet Podcast, former White House speech writer Peter Robinson hosts former Georger W. Bush presidential speechwriters Bill McGurn and Troy Senik. It's a fascinating inside look at what goes into the writing of a State of The Union address, the history of the address itself, and swap a few war stories as well.
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Thanks to Ricochet member EJHill for the graphic.
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May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
The State of the Union makes sense as a way for the President to clearly delineate his priorities for public record. It's also like a coach's speech to his team before they take the field -- a yearly opportunity for the President to raise Americans' hopes and demonstrate confidence as Commander-in-Chief.
I'd like to see a President give a State of the Union address on YouTube, alongside the views of normal citizens.
One of my college professors said in class one day that the word "surge" was a savvy act of politics. A surge is temporary, he pointed out. The administration was trying to assure voters that the additional troops would return soon. Of course, he was a flaming liberal who distrusted Bush, but it was an interesting exposition on the subtleties of language.
Peter, you're absolutely right about Obama's recent behavior. He is aiming for reelection, but his focus is not what more he could accomplish. It's to protect the core of what he has already done until the concrete has dried and repealing Obamacare is unthinkable as repealing the national income tax (which gets proposed, but few believe it could happen).
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Peter, we want to hear more Ronald Reagan impressions on the next podcast! Awesome, and hilarious=)
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
no link?
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
ok, here's a link.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Peter's book about his years working for Reagan is well worth a read.
I can't vouch for this one. It seems Peter's been spending too much time around Rob and Andrew. ;)
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Thanks, Joseph. The direct link has now been added to the post.
Jun '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Coming to terms with the new Republican reality in the House is going to be difficult for a president who thinks his problem is that he "could have explained his program better" to the American people. I want to know if the president and his cronies really believe this pathetic bleat, or was it just cover for the thrashing he took in the midterms? I'm actually tempted to listen to the SOTU.
Jan '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
There is one clarification that could be made. Peter mentioned that Presidents began delivering the SOTU in person with Woodrow Wilson. This is certainly true, but President Washington and Adams each delivered their "annual message," as it SOTU used to be called, in person. It was Jefferson who broke that tradition. He did so for two primary reasons, one personal, the other political. He was a poor public speaker and detested giving speeches. But the second reason, and more important of the two, was that he considered the delivering of these addresses in person as a hoary practice of Monarchy that was done more to overawe the legislative branch with pomp and circumstance than it was to achieve anything actual policy changes.
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Jefferson was right.
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
What I like about the SOTU is waiting to see what salt-of-the-earth American is invited to be seated next to the First Lady.
A female firefighter who lost a leg rescuing a basket of gay puppies?
A blind 9-year-old kid with webbed feet who sent POTUS a handcrafted card thanking him for health reform?
The suspense is killing me.
Jan '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
If I may add one other piece of historical triva/context that speaks to a topic discussed in tonight's podcast. The first President to offer a laundry list of policy goals and objectives that emnated from the executive was John Quincy Adams. In following up his inaugural address, JQ Adams advocated in his annual messages the establishment of a national college, a national observatory, federally funded internal improvements, and other policy suggestions he wanted Congress to achieve. Laundry list, indeed. The response by Congress? Thundering inattention and disdain for President who was treading on their turf. The final result? A failed one-term presidency.
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
To answer Peter's question of where Obama will be drawing the line, I think Obama will be stressing the leftist social agenda to compensate for his fiscal failure. Gotta please the base.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Who's that longhair shaking hands with Presidnet Reagan?
Nov '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
That's what I was wondering. That's a real head of hair, yessir.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Loved the podcast! Fascinating stuff. We should do a Ricochet SOTU address for a fictional President - one paragraph at a time from each contributor. Could be fun...
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast Special Edition: The White House Writer's Room
Just listened to this today. One quibble: Peter mentioned the White House speechwriter fact-checkers contacting Neil Armstrong to ask if the Great Wall of China was visible from space; he said, of course, it wasn't, and hence it was pulled from the speech. I suspect the question was, instead, whether the Great Wall of China is visible from the Moon, which it isn't, a question Neil Armstrong is among a very few humans qualified to answer from direct experience.
"Space" is only 100 to 200 miles above the ground, and you can see all kinds of human works from that distance--just ascend Mt. Hamilton and look around, or look for the Lick Observatory domes from Palo Alto. Viewing things from the Moon is entirely a different matter.
Arguably, there is one work of humanity which is visible from the Moon: the California Water Project. The streak of green in the Central Valley is linear, unnatural, and obviously artificial. A lunar Percival Lowell might attribute it to "canals", but probably couldn't imagine its fading back to brown due to the delta smelt.