It may not be an official job qualification, but the president is expected to give a good speech. Barack Obama and Donald Trump have very little in common, but they both know how to rouse their supporters.
Indeed, many of our most celebrated presidents have been great speakers, from FDR to JFK to Reagan. (And while we don’t have any audio recordings of Lincoln, just reading the text of his speeches suggests how compelling an orator Abe must have been live.)
Yet the fact is we’ve had a good number of leaders who, all things considered, would have been happy just to remain silent. And we’ve had a few who may have spoken too much, including one who literally talked himself to death. In the wake of our President Trump’s first speech to Congress, here is a ranking to talk about at the water cooler:
The Quiet Types
Thomas Jefferson: The Constitution requires the President to “from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union.” Both George Washington and John Adams chose to interpret this as requiring them actually to speak to Congress, leading to our State of the Union address. The famously introverted Jefferson, however, recognized that while he had to share information, he didn’t actually have to talk. He simply wrote up a message he gave to a messenger to in turn share with the legislative branch. He also wrote a letter explaining how this approach would be more “convenient” for the congressmen (as well as for him).
Calvin Coolidge: So quiet that he earned the nickname “Silent Cal.” Serving between Warren G. Harding (who died in office in the midst of a wave of scandals) and Herbert Hoover (who saw the U.S. economy collapse), he was in office during a time when the the commander-in-chief didn’t have to say a whole lot — and he kept to that script. Indeed, he took being uncommunicative to bizarre levels. His own wife recounted how a dinner guest once said they could get him to say at least three words of conversation. His only reply: “You lose.” Coolidge’s silence was aided by the fact in office he usually slept 11 hours a night and took a nap.
Richard Nixon: The presidential historian Tom Wicker described Nixon as an “introvert in the extroverted profession of politician.” Nixon himself said, “I’m fundamentally relatively shy. It doesn’t come naturally to me to be a buddy-buddy boy … I can’t really let my hair down with anyone.” The result was often awkward public appearances and interactions. (In fairness, the job is often a surreal one, as proven by Nixon’s legendarily weird encounter with Elvis Presley.) Nixon was able to understand technical papers to an unusual degree, with the result he was reportedly happiest analyzing complex issues by himself or writing drafts of major speeches while alone.
Talk, Talk, Talk
William Henry Harrison: The general who was the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe actually talked himself to death. He delivered the longest inaugural address ever at a punishing 105 minutes on a cold March day, became sick as a result, and died just 32 days into his term.
Woodrow Wilson: Wilson didn’t quite talk himself to death, but he came damn close. Wilson had already revived the tradition of directly addressing Congress. (The presidents who followed Jefferson had been happy not to talk to them either.) When Congress seemed opposed to his League of Nation after World War I, Wilson decided to take his arguments directly to the people. This was considerably harder to do in the pre-Twitter era, with the result the combination of travel and relentless speech-making gave him a stroke.
Bill Clinton: While even opponents would concede Clinton can give a good speech, he has struggled to know when to stop talking. Indeed, he almost killed his national career in 1988 before it really started with a nominating speech for presidential candidate Michael Dukakis that later led Tom Brokaw to recall, “He droned on and on, and droned on. When he finally said ‘In conclusion,’ people began to cheer.” The result was that Clinton successfully ran for the presidency in 1992, he cut back on the talking and spent more time playing saxophone. (Really—Bill is first visible 18 seconds in during the clip below, rocking out with the band as they play the theme to The Arsenio Hall Show.)
—Sean Cunningham for RealClearLife
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
