Sordid vs. Sociopathic
April 22, 2015
For speechwriters, every industry has downsides. From what type of professional merde do you insist on being spared?
Olaf(upon what were once knees)
does almost ceaselessly repeat
โthere is some shit I will not eatโ
โe.e. cummings
If poltiical speechwriting can be sordid, and corporate speechwriting is sometimes sociopathic. So suggest two speechwriters in separate stories this week.
The sordid story.
In a Weekly Standard review of an ebook published a couple years ago on the rise and fall of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, former Sanford speechwriter Barton Swaim wrote, โThe trajectory of Mark Sanford’s political lifeโcongressman from South Carolina, two-term governor of the state, Tea Party hero and potential presidential contender, blubbering fool and national joke, and now congressman againโjust begs to be put into a book.โ
Apparently, Swaim gave in, and wrote a book of his own: The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics is a โfictionalโ work, which promises โan intimate and hilarious look inside the spin room of the modern politician: a place where ideals are crushed, English is mangled, people are humiliated, and the opportunity for humor is everywhere โฆ The story of a band of believers who attach themselves to this sort of ambitious narcissist โฆ A funny and candid introduction to the world of politics, where press statements are purposefully nonsensical, grammatical errors are intentional, and better copy means more words.โ
A number of political pundits have given it good blurbs, including Primary Colors author Joe Klein, who said, โโThis is the truest book Iโve read about politics in some time, hilarious and sordid and wonderfully written.โ
Itโs out in July.
The sociopathic story.
As weird as political speechwriting can be, former Vice President Gore speechwriter Bob Lehrman vastly prefers it to corporate work, as he explains in a lively interview with an Australian magazine, Future Perfect.
โIn the 1980s I wrote for Texaco,โ Lehrman recalls painfully.
I had to write something attacking gasoholโgasoline made from grain. I did. But they never used it. Six months later, my boss said, โBob, rewrite that gasohol piece. But now weโre for it.โ I asked why. He told me weโd gotten a big contract to produce gasohol with a partner. I went back to my office, talked with the same engineer Iโd worked with beforeโand did what they wanted. Does that tell you why someone who was passionate about ideas wouldnโt like corporate life?
Meanwhile, Lerhman found political speechwriting to be idealisticโand not just by comparison:
People in politics arenโt cynical at all. With good reason. Democratsโmy sideโmostly hated the war in Iraq, wanted health insurance for everyone, supported same-sex marriage, supported raising the minimum wage and closing tax loopholes for the rich. Republicans wereโmostlyโon the other side of all those issues. Isnโt that worth working your ass off? And Republicans feel as passionately on the other side. They work just as hard. Thatโs why Iโve always loved politics. The work is for something worth doingโeven if what you write doesnโt change the world. I mean, youโre part of a team. Letโs say youโre a marking back on a soccer team. Do you have to score to think it was worth going all out?
Whatโs your favorite speechwriting arenaโfrom what type of professional merde do you insist on being spared? โDM