Politics (Part 1 of 2)

political fervor has struck America. it’s time for our once-every-four-year presidential campaign. it’s an exciting, and also often overwhelming time: parades, conventions, signs, speeches, donations, critics, pundits, idiots, yahoos, and on a good day, just maybe, a well-thought out and intelligent discourse on American society.

in an effort to find some sense amid the chaos, or maybe just to add to the noise, I thought I’d write a political post or two. but since this is a blog with a subject, writing, I figured I’d stick to it. what follows is a two-part post about what we can learn about good (copy)writing from the campaign, and the candidates. I’ll start here with Obama, and sometime soon, get to McCain.

and in starting with Obama, I’ll start at the only logical point: his oratory. it’s good. astoundingly good. the best I’ve ever seen live. no matter the outcome of this race, I believe 4th grade social studies classes will be listening to Obama just as they listen to Martin Luther King, jr. now. his delivery is impeccable. his timing is right on. his nature fits the message, and the message fits. his speeches are well-written, and they’re well delivered. for anyone who disputes my point that delivery, timing, and rhythm are crucial to good copy (and good speeches) has to look no further than Obama.

and in a secondary, related way, we ought to learn about magic from Obama. his speeches are as good as they are not because of the beginning or the middle - where he communicates what he needs to communicate. they’re special because the end - where he communicates the magnitude of his message. where he transcends politics, and speaks to the human (and even the divine) spirit. where he inspires and energzes, like seldom before him have. they’re special because he believes his words can become magic. from a previous post, as a reminder about good, even great writing, here’s a quote from Stephen King: “we are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style… but as we move along, you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.”

King is a good teacher, and Obama is a good reminder: writing should be simple. it should be to the point, and it should be effective. but do that well - get your message across - and you might have some room for magic. you might be able to do more than sell, or more than get elected. you may be able to inspire.