Public Speaking Matters

One of my favorite critiques of then Senator Obama during the 2008 Presidential Campaign was, "All that guy can do is give a good speech! You know who gave good speeches and had lots of people listen to him?  HITLER!!!!"

Ah yes, the "the only thing that politician knows how to do is speak!" argument. Classic.  The argument poses that 1.) These promises will all be broken anyway and 2.) Past actions are a much better indicator of leadership than speaking!  There are two ways we can judge candidates: by their records and by their plans for the future.  Now unless you would like to read through all of the policy memos by the Obama administration on agriculture subsidies or the full detail of nuclear defense policy on Mitt Romney's future Presidential website (he's totally running), I'll take a speech that summarizes those policy goals please.

Now watch Governor Jan Brewer (R-AZ) in her opening statement for the Arizona Governor debates.

Even if you agree with her on every policy, in your gut do you feel like voting for her after that? Probably not.

Speeches and opinion articles are ways for politicians to summarize their plans for their office and in order for us to either agree or disagree with their ideas (which likely don't vary much from their party's ideas).  We judge politicians by how they communicate with us and try to win us with their arguments and ideas. A good speaker can solidify the people in his base. A great speaker can win moderates and heck, even perhaps people from the other political party. In short, public speaking matters. Our presidents will be men and women who can communicate their ideas clearly and with brevity and intellect.

Well...most of the time.