Political campaigns are essentially about communication. Regardless to the growing technological sophistication in the field a candidate won’t get anywhere unless he or she is a gifted speaker. The more we discuss matters of targeting, software applications and online campaigning the more I am stricken by the sensation that simple rules of good rhetorics are sinking into oblivion. Conferences on political marketing feature what consultants may contribute to campaigns. In many European countries the contribution made by speechwriters is having a remarkably low profile. I suggest that has little to do with the actual service they provide to a politician. After all, any policy crisis kicked off by a poor speech potentially terminates the career of the person who authored the draft. That is part of the job and one should not be surprised. On the other hand the potential rewards for speechwriters in Europe appear to be less generous than what their colleagues in the USA can rightly expect. Even attentive readers of German newspapers and political magazines can not hope to come across the name of a single speechwriter. They are expected to do their job quietly and stay anonymous. Their counterparts in the USA by comparison stand a good chance to reap the benefits of name recognition — if not outright glory. Theodore Sorensen who thought up President John F. Kennedy’s speeches has internationally become a household name for thrilling political rhetoric. Michael J. Gerson is credited with having vastly improved President George W. Bush’s public speaking. It was he who coined some of the phrases that shaped developments in the aftermath of September 11. The “axis of evil” featured in the draft of a speech he had produced for the American President.

Admittedly, the playwright and theatre director Ronnie Millar who scripted Mrs Thatcher’s speeches did gain some prominence and he was publicly noted as having composed a handful of historical phrases. “This Lady is not for turning” is her claim, yet it was his idea. However, Millar did not stand a chance to be identified as a essential pillar of Thatcherism. His name is associated with phrases at best, but not with the strategic decisions taken by the Thatcher governments. Quite different is the role Jon Favreau has assumed with US presidential candidate Barack Obama. At the tender age of 23 Favreau was already speechwriter for John Kerry. It was then that he walked up to Barack Obama to offer advice on the address Obama was due to give to the 2004 party convention. To Favreau it was clear that speechwriting is a strategic management function which does play a role in shaping policies. This is true if speechwriting is taken serious and that appears to be the case in the US. “Yes, we can” encapsulates Obama’s policies. It is in a nutshell what the Obama presidency would be about. It does not come as a surprise that “yes, we can!” entered Obama’s vocabulary at the insistence of Mr. Favreaue. This is just one more example to demonstrate how valuable a role a speechwriter may play in a campaign.