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Speechwriters Mary Kate Cary and Paul Orzulak on how the speech can help set the tone for President Obama’s second term
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Welcome back to on the -- -- foxnews.com live I'm Jonathan Hunt.
Are you decide question of the day how would you rate the state of our union weigh in on -- you think it's excellent good okay you'll worried.
Malware in trouble.
And also elect tune in tonight at 8:15 PM right here our special state of the union coverage.
850 as I say -- East and of course hosted by Harris Faulkner and join in the live chat.
On your thoughts on the state of the union is of course one of these biggest speeches a president makes -- and we're joined now by two people who being involved.
In writing such speech is married take Kerry is a former speechwriter for president George H.
W.
Bush and pulls a -- Former speechwriter -- the President Clinton -- who gave a lot of great speeches as well we know which brings me to my first questionable is -- about the speech writer or about the person -- -- -- Well it's it's about the president you know it -- -- and famous episode of the west wing.
-- after State of the Union Address Rob Lowe walked in the huge applause and got his name announced people just went crazy.
In real life when the chief speechwriter for President Clinton walked into a room after the state of the union he introduced him as the person who typed my speech -- But there's a big difference but that you don't like -- that President Obama is probably the best writer we've had in the Oval Office and a 150 years.
He's a beautiful writer he knows what he wants to say and keep his pad his lead had.
And of course any state of the union is a huge process where every agency sends -- memos.
Arguing what should be in the state of union because as somebody once said.
The difference between something being -- a priority and -- priority in the state of the union could mean the difference and billions of dollars of funding so.
A lot of voices but it's the president's that that kind of controls the theme.
And the tone of it that this speech from an American where do you rank this in terms of speeches a president games.
The inaugural a state of the union any others where does this rank.
Well I think it's hard for most people to quote something from a state of the union so they don't come across as very memorable speeches.
But there's certainly important for the republic you know.
I would say -- the top would have to be inaugural because that's really isn't that big vision that grand.
Conquests and then the state -- the union is the yearly.
And get a statement of governing and and that's very important as a as a leader of our government.
But to his speech writer it's a lot more fun to write some of the you know like the challenger let's say were you reach out touch the face of god are you.
They're even Indians spelling -- of the year winner is isn't as a fund speech right -- state of the union knots of thunder so.
Probably should poll aides about this is a speech it's a bad -- -- I'm getting across a detailed program.
Rather than as -- Mary Kate says the soaring rhetoric -- apps although I shouldn't combine the two I guess.
It is -- if somebody said earlier that.
The difference between the inaugural address and -- union is you find the -- ending our growth and in the stadium you find the lyrics.
I think that there's some truth -- that it actually.
It is a big deal because it is the one time each year that the president has the ability to address the nation -- filtered without being part by the press -- anybody else.
For a full hour about 38 million American student didn't last time which is the lowest number that student in.
For what approach President Obama is -- union's compare that to the 110 or twenty million that watched the Super Bowl but for those that here that are interest said.
It's an important is addressed to set the tone to put the president's agenda you've certainly Rick Howell the achievements of the last forty years -- Present your plan for the next four it's usually optimistic it's usually bipartisan tone in town that -- I actually hope of the last thing president does tonight.
Is appeal to us to come together again when he's appealed -- unity for four years.
And you know we haven't had a spirit of unity here prolonged time what I really like here -- that this hit him describe the honest real differences between the two parties -- all these major issues.
To suggest something.
Ford and perhaps -- times in the past when we were just -- divided but we somehow finally sport guy and that's a good point Mary -- an appeal put together in a sequence of a bit but awfully point -- and -- in this day and changed your.
Do you -- if you were advising the president now would you advise him to leave that I don't just say look here's my vision like it or lump it.
Well he did that I felt like -- in the inaugural address it was a very aggressively liberal agenda and that inaugural address I think that kind of put people off of it.
My suggestion would be a little difference -- calls.
This -- is to put the president in the middle.
And say to the Republicans for example.
Joining me as I look for ways to reasonably reduce our military budget without putting our troops in harm's way.
And then -- to the Democrats and -- and join me as well as I find it reasonable ways to rein in the growth of Medicare and Social Security.
And and have him sort of invite each side.
To overcome their differences with what what they've been arguing about.
And and do it that way he's got a list of sort of liberal agenda items that I think he's the White House is thirty.
Leaking that he's going to be putting in the speech but to please Republicans what do you put that inside of the -- agenda.
And talk about how safe schools will help us grow our economy or some the other examples that -- that he was talking about -- it in the state of the union.
I think if -- cloak -- as an economic message that would be a much more unifying message for Republicans this.
And -- Paul you're on nodding away there -- if -- have some thoughts on that.
I never thought I'd be here the day Mary Kate -- -- Clinton's approach to triangulation I thought I saw a but in fact there's a lot to be said for that -- it assumes of course that his position at some of these issue that is different from both the Democrats and Republicans.
I think in many cases they are -- in some cases they're not.
But in truth you know -- The president and his staff were were reportedly surprised that social issues dominated coverage of this -- the -- inaugural address.
Immigration.
Gay marriage guns on climate change famously.
Anderson I think -- -- where you know the big country was asked a few weeks ago by Pew Research Center -- what issues were most important.
Those issues were all at the very bottom of the list of -- still -- near the top is still the economy.
Jobs growth the deficit and where I think he's got to come home to these issues today.
Put the middle class was squarely focused we've been talking too long here but debts and deficit and fiscal cliffs and -- -- showdowns let's put it back how the American people what they needed their future what government can do to help our people.
You just.
Raise their families start jobs and do all the things that make America stronger marry -- when you went into.
His team and a and a president is -- -- yeah.
A speech like this is -- the CA -- directly to congress.
But how much it does is it also a speech in which the president is seeking directly to connect with the American people.
Well.
That and that's an interesting question because so much of the night is concentrated in that through in that gallery there with all the senators and congressman.
And as you know you know you can see that the speaker behind the president and the president pro -- And they're the ones leading the applause and sort of directing who's standing and cheering and who's gonna stay in their seats and sit on their hands.
The gallery has very little to do with it other than -- invited guests.
The First Lady and people like that.
But the president is looking directly into the camera and addressing the American people so I think the White House treats it.
More as an address to the American people.
And and Washington treats it more as a as -- addressing congress and and takes apart this clapping in his look at -- you know and my throwing spit balls and -- that sort of thing -- -- put -- resident country I think thinks it's an address to the American people.
Poll and the -- you -- about how every agency.
Sends in memos that need to be incorporated or at least they want to be incorporated.
But given that huge amount of material that is coming in how long -- how many hours how many weeks.
Does a speech like this generally take.
Weeks and days usually before Christmas and carries -- through January we happen to be in February -- it because it was in our address is here.
But you know this sort of three part process the president decides to -- the direction what are you also included is the message.
You know -- -- below that.
What is prime policies that are put forward to the average State of the Union Address puts forward 31 policies an election year they're about 36 -- usually.
Somewhere between 3851%.
Of those actually become a lot.
That's been lower with the president -- President Obama in part because of the Republican Party does not work with a monologue these issues in -- you know filibustering and blocking votes on different things but then you have a massive executive -- -- all doing good things everywhere.
Now I'm not a all of which isn't even in the hot in the headlines.
So agencies send that to the White -- to say.
Here's what we're doing here's what we think it's worth shining a spotlight if they line up about the president's policies and priorities are for the address.
They might find their way in -- and President Clinton was basically.
Proud of the fact that it yet so Soviets here -- -- -- -- like him because they they -- you had to work really hard to accomplish them but didn't meet a lot to a lot of people.
But.
He wanted to include as much as he putted the -- people appreciated in the hours of -- -- -- -- to hear what our government is doing beyond all these sort of you know there's headlines about very specific debt this are dead bat which have dominated our politics for.
Last year I'm -- Mary -- last -- to you like your thoughts on what we did tonight -- speech.
That appeals for unity your speech that practically.
Divides the country in the the political process even more than we are already if that's possible.
I've got my fingers crossed for unifying speech I think people are hungry for my brother had a great line last night I called him and asked him what he thought the president should say.
He said it's not about who's right who's wrong I want to hear about what's right.
And and I thought you know if that -- in Alabama is not politics and and I thought boy amen to that so I'd like to hear more of that what's right for our country and a if the president can do it in a way I know it's hard for him because -- I think he likes to -- and taken them.
You know demonizing Republicans that I think if you can rise above it people be very grateful -- that it.
-- -- -- all right wonderful get to get the insides of two people have been so intimately involved with.
This kind of speech writing Mary -- Kerrey former speechwriter for president George H.
W.
Bush from coal.
Also act foolishly -- -- the President Clinton thank you so much for being here today thanks and -- enjoy the state of the union tonight and again.
