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CNN Live Sunday

A Look At Memorable Presidential Quotes

Aired February 22, 2004 - 16:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY: As Americans consider the candidates and prepare for the November election, they're hearing a lot of stump speeches lately. And they've been part of the political process for a long time now. Well let's take a close are look at their impact with Michael Waldman, he was President Clinton's speech writing director and is the author of "My Fellow Americans" a book on presidential speeches. Good to see you Michael.
MICHAEL WALDMAN, AUTHOR, "MY FELLOW AMERICANS:" Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well is what a president says just as memorable, if not more memorable, than what he or she actually does or doesn't do?

WALDMAN: Well you know when a president talks its not just words spewed out into the ether or even something trying to get applause from an audience, it's very often how a president sets policy, leads the country and, of course, when something is in a presidential campaign, it's often how the candidates wage their debate. What they say is actually a pretty good test of what they're going to wind up doing, usually.

WHITFIELD: All right, well let's look at what is being said by some of the presidents past. Lets begin with Abe Lincoln. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Michael, this was considered some pretty risky language. Why?

WALDMAN: Well his advisers told him not to do it the night before. He was running for the Senate in Illinois, and like a modern politician, he wanted to draw a sharp line and push his opponent on the issue of slavery and say this is a really clear choice here. He was basically predicting Civil War.

One of the things that's interesting about that is, Lincoln was quoting the Bible. He wasn't just coining the great sound bite. And his audience knew that, many of them were illiterate but knew their Bible. Where as now a days if a politician wants to say something that everybody is going to know what it means, you're much better off quoting a TV commercial like "where's the beef," or John McCain said in 2000, I'm Luke Skywalker fighting the death star and everybody knew what he meant.

WHITFIELD: But these days fewer modern day presidents are willing to take the kind of risk that we saw that Abe Lincoln did, and going against the advice of those closest to them.

WALDMAN: Well you know Lincoln was, as we here now talking about John Edwards, (INAUDIBLE) somebody who actually rose up on the power of his ability to stand in front of people and convince them. But back then it wasn't even considered too appropriate for presidents to talk much, once they actually got into office. Lincoln talked his way into the White House. But then once he was there, he couldn't say all that much.

WHITFIELD: Well let's listen to a portion of President Truman's whistle stop speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY TRUMAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: I'm asking you, just to read history. To use your own judgment and to decide whether you want to go forward with the Democratic party or whether you want to turn the clock back to the horse and buggy days when such people is made up of do-nothing alias Republican Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Somewhat difficult to understand, but how was this interpreted then?

WALDMAN: Well, you know I mean people now-a-day's worry about attack politics, and political attacks, as if it's some kind of new thing. Of course there's been a lot of politics in politics all they way back. And candidates always want to point fingers at the other side. And in Truman's case, he had a Republican Thomas Dewey he was running against.

So what he said, is I'm going to spend all of my time talking about the special interests and the Congress. And nobody gave him a chance. He went off on his train to, as they called it, these whistle stops, and he surprised everybody. The Roper Polling Organization, which was kind of the big polling firm of the day, stopped polling to save money, because it was so obvious that Dewey was going to win. But that kind of attack on the special interests managed to re-elect Truman. It's one of the great dramas in America political history.

WHITFIELD: Some might say that LBJ surprised an awful lot of people by using vernacular that was more indicative of the Civil Rights Movement. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LBJ, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: But really, it's all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. (APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Were these words of necessity at that time?

WALDMAN: What an incredible moment that was. This was right after the voting rights march in Selma, where the marchers were seeking the right to vote and they were clubbed by the police and everybody in the whole country saw it. And Johnson, who was kind of considered a stiff speaker very often, he saw this moment, this was his chance.

He arranged for himself to be invited before Congress and he got up and he proposed the Voting Rights Act. And when he, this southerner with this southern accent said, we shall overcome, which was the very song the marches were singing when they were clubbed, it was an incredible moment. And Martin Luther King was watching at home and had tears rolling down his face. It was one of those times when you realize a president not only can throw political bombs, but can lift the whole country up.

WHITFIELD: And sometimes the words used are not only memorable, they're pivotal, but they can sometimes kind of come back to haunt you. Let's listen to the words of the first President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Read my lips: no new taxes!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It helped him during his first term, but not in his quest for a second.

WALDMAN: Well that is right. He was running as the vice president to succeed Ronald Reagan and he had this kind of image of what they called the wimp factor and he wanted to show he was being tough. And so he made this promise, never to raise taxes. And interestingly, his economic advisers said to him, don't do it. You're going to have to raise taxes.

But his political advisers, including Roger Ailes who was then his political adviser said, no, no, we've got to banish this wimp image forever and he made that promise and it probably did help him get elected in 1988.

But when he ran for re-election in 1992, the fact that he had raised taxes to cut the deficit was seen as a big broken promise, and it made it very hard for him to kind of point with pride and say, look how responsible I was on the economy. It probably won him the '88 election and lost him the '92 election.

WHITFIELD: As we've been listening to the Democratic presidential contenders this go-round, do you feel like there's been a real common denominator in the style of the speeches that we've been hearing? Or do you think that any one or two stand out as perhaps being able to coin some interesting presidential-like phrases?

WALDMAN: Well I think that for a long time Howard Dean was very interesting. But I think that -- and very powerful, but he wasn't as people felt presidential. People want to feel the gravity and the seriousness as well as the anger and the emotion. It's interesting, I think Kerry and Edwards each in their own way do some of that.

Kerry when he talks about his personal story and his Vietnam experience can be very powerful. Although some of his other answers can be somewhat senatorial. It sounds like he's still maybe got his mind in the capital rather than out in the hustings.

Edwards, especially in small groups can be very persuasive and very powerful. And one thing both of them have managed to do is to talk about, as they say, the special interests or economic policy, or maybe what they say are tax policies that favor the rich, but do it in a way that doesn't seem like class warfare.

That talks about values, common American values, and ties economic policy into that. And that's the way a successful political leader does it. I mean even going back to Lincoln, if you can find a way to tie policies to wide values, you're much better off.

WHITFIELD: Michael Waldman and the book is "My Fellow Americans: The most important speeches of Americas Presidents, from George Washington to George W. Bush." Thanks very much.

WALDMAN: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 22, 2004 - 16:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY: As Americans consider the candidates and prepare for the November election, they're hearing a lot of stump speeches lately. And they've been part of the political process for a long time now. Well let's take a close are look at their impact with Michael Waldman, he was President Clinton's speech writing director and is the author of "My Fellow Americans" a book on presidential speeches. Good to see you Michael.
MICHAEL WALDMAN, AUTHOR, "MY FELLOW AMERICANS:" Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well is what a president says just as memorable, if not more memorable, than what he or she actually does or doesn't do?

WALDMAN: Well you know when a president talks its not just words spewed out into the ether or even something trying to get applause from an audience, it's very often how a president sets policy, leads the country and, of course, when something is in a presidential campaign, it's often how the candidates wage their debate. What they say is actually a pretty good test of what they're going to wind up doing, usually.

WHITFIELD: All right, well let's look at what is being said by some of the presidents past. Lets begin with Abe Lincoln. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Michael, this was considered some pretty risky language. Why?

WALDMAN: Well his advisers told him not to do it the night before. He was running for the Senate in Illinois, and like a modern politician, he wanted to draw a sharp line and push his opponent on the issue of slavery and say this is a really clear choice here. He was basically predicting Civil War.

One of the things that's interesting about that is, Lincoln was quoting the Bible. He wasn't just coining the great sound bite. And his audience knew that, many of them were illiterate but knew their Bible. Where as now a days if a politician wants to say something that everybody is going to know what it means, you're much better off quoting a TV commercial like "where's the beef," or John McCain said in 2000, I'm Luke Skywalker fighting the death star and everybody knew what he meant.

WHITFIELD: But these days fewer modern day presidents are willing to take the kind of risk that we saw that Abe Lincoln did, and going against the advice of those closest to them.

WALDMAN: Well you know Lincoln was, as we here now talking about John Edwards, (INAUDIBLE) somebody who actually rose up on the power of his ability to stand in front of people and convince them. But back then it wasn't even considered too appropriate for presidents to talk much, once they actually got into office. Lincoln talked his way into the White House. But then once he was there, he couldn't say all that much.

WHITFIELD: Well let's listen to a portion of President Truman's whistle stop speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY TRUMAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: I'm asking you, just to read history. To use your own judgment and to decide whether you want to go forward with the Democratic party or whether you want to turn the clock back to the horse and buggy days when such people is made up of do-nothing alias Republican Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Somewhat difficult to understand, but how was this interpreted then?

WALDMAN: Well, you know I mean people now-a-day's worry about attack politics, and political attacks, as if it's some kind of new thing. Of course there's been a lot of politics in politics all they way back. And candidates always want to point fingers at the other side. And in Truman's case, he had a Republican Thomas Dewey he was running against.

So what he said, is I'm going to spend all of my time talking about the special interests and the Congress. And nobody gave him a chance. He went off on his train to, as they called it, these whistle stops, and he surprised everybody. The Roper Polling Organization, which was kind of the big polling firm of the day, stopped polling to save money, because it was so obvious that Dewey was going to win. But that kind of attack on the special interests managed to re-elect Truman. It's one of the great dramas in America political history.

WHITFIELD: Some might say that LBJ surprised an awful lot of people by using vernacular that was more indicative of the Civil Rights Movement. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LBJ, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: But really, it's all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. (APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Were these words of necessity at that time?

WALDMAN: What an incredible moment that was. This was right after the voting rights march in Selma, where the marchers were seeking the right to vote and they were clubbed by the police and everybody in the whole country saw it. And Johnson, who was kind of considered a stiff speaker very often, he saw this moment, this was his chance.

He arranged for himself to be invited before Congress and he got up and he proposed the Voting Rights Act. And when he, this southerner with this southern accent said, we shall overcome, which was the very song the marches were singing when they were clubbed, it was an incredible moment. And Martin Luther King was watching at home and had tears rolling down his face. It was one of those times when you realize a president not only can throw political bombs, but can lift the whole country up.

WHITFIELD: And sometimes the words used are not only memorable, they're pivotal, but they can sometimes kind of come back to haunt you. Let's listen to the words of the first President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Read my lips: no new taxes!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It helped him during his first term, but not in his quest for a second.

WALDMAN: Well that is right. He was running as the vice president to succeed Ronald Reagan and he had this kind of image of what they called the wimp factor and he wanted to show he was being tough. And so he made this promise, never to raise taxes. And interestingly, his economic advisers said to him, don't do it. You're going to have to raise taxes.

But his political advisers, including Roger Ailes who was then his political adviser said, no, no, we've got to banish this wimp image forever and he made that promise and it probably did help him get elected in 1988.

But when he ran for re-election in 1992, the fact that he had raised taxes to cut the deficit was seen as a big broken promise, and it made it very hard for him to kind of point with pride and say, look how responsible I was on the economy. It probably won him the '88 election and lost him the '92 election.

WHITFIELD: As we've been listening to the Democratic presidential contenders this go-round, do you feel like there's been a real common denominator in the style of the speeches that we've been hearing? Or do you think that any one or two stand out as perhaps being able to coin some interesting presidential-like phrases?

WALDMAN: Well I think that for a long time Howard Dean was very interesting. But I think that -- and very powerful, but he wasn't as people felt presidential. People want to feel the gravity and the seriousness as well as the anger and the emotion. It's interesting, I think Kerry and Edwards each in their own way do some of that.

Kerry when he talks about his personal story and his Vietnam experience can be very powerful. Although some of his other answers can be somewhat senatorial. It sounds like he's still maybe got his mind in the capital rather than out in the hustings.

Edwards, especially in small groups can be very persuasive and very powerful. And one thing both of them have managed to do is to talk about, as they say, the special interests or economic policy, or maybe what they say are tax policies that favor the rich, but do it in a way that doesn't seem like class warfare.

That talks about values, common American values, and ties economic policy into that. And that's the way a successful political leader does it. I mean even going back to Lincoln, if you can find a way to tie policies to wide values, you're much better off.

WHITFIELD: Michael Waldman and the book is "My Fellow Americans: The most important speeches of Americas Presidents, from George Washington to George W. Bush." Thanks very much.

WALDMAN: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com