Description
Book SynopsisExamines presidential speeches over the course of six administrations. Editors Michael Nelson and Russell Riley have brought together an outstanding team of academics and professional writers—including nine former speechwriters who worked for every president from Nixon to Clinton—to examine how the politics and crafting of presidential rhetoric serve the various roles of the presidency.
Trade ReviewAn important addition to the library of any researcher interested in the implications of democracy and oratory in the modern American presidency." —
Rhetoric & Public Affairs"A solid addition to the literature on presidential speechwriting for scholars seeking to understand how the sausage is made." —
Congress & the Presidency"Nelson and Riley's collection gives the reader an excellent critical analysis along with a behind-the-scenes look at those who craft the president's message as well as important insight into why modern presidents were successful or unsuccessful at communicating their message. . . . Students of history, public address, or politics will profit from this book as much as writers and scholars. Aspiring speechwriters will learn important lessons from those who have gone before them." —
Presidential Studies Quarterly"The cascade of words that characterizes the modern rhetorical presidency is a product not of one loquacious man but of a host of hired wordsmiths. Yet few of us know anything about presidential speechwriters; their frustrations, challenges, pressures, rewards, and opportunities. Combining acute analysis with a vivid insider's perspective,
The President's Words provides a revealing look at their world." —Richard J. Ellis, editor of
Speaking to the People: The Rhetorical Presidency in Historical Perspective"Offers insights into the relationships between presidents and their public discourse and clues about why some presidents use the bully pulpit more skillfully." —Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, coauthor of
Deeds Done in Words: Presidential Rhetoric and the Genres of Governance
