On Political Speech

I used to write speeches and talking points for government officials. In light of the President’s tweet tonight and the GOP’s talking points about impeachment, here are a few thoughts about political speech.

Talking points start with a topline message – the high order bit. Divining that usually starts by asking the question, “What am I trying to say?” The trick is to say what you mean. As George Orwell put it, “Let the meaning choose the word and not the other way around.” 

Another trick is to make it short – or at least to ask, as Orwell said, “Could I put it more shortly?” These principles are universal, but Orwell sums them up well in his essay “Politics and the English Language,” the point of which was, “In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible.” 

We can tell words and meaning have parted company in the POTUS/GOP talking points. Don’t think about words but instead the message. A shorter and more precise version:  the President is above the law. Impeaching the President will lead to a breakdown of law and order. The only way to keep Americans safe is to keep the President in power.