By Kacie Candela
Tom Favreau spoke on Monday in Keating Hall. Sam Joseph/ The Fordham Ram.
The College Democrats hosted speaker Jon Favreau, President Obama’s former speechwriter, at an event last Monday night in Keating First. Favreau discussed how he became a speechwriter, five things he learned from President Obama, what is wrong with how politicians communicate with the public and how that is slowly changing.
Favreau attended the College of the Holy Cross, and was hired by the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign upon graduation. He was eventually promoted to deputy director of speechwriting. When Secretary of State Kerry lost the presidential race in 2004, Favreau withdrew from politics, cynical and broke. A few months later he received a call from Robert Gibbs offering him the position of then-Senator Obama’s speechwriter. Upon hiring Favreau, he reports Obama said, “I still don’t think I need a speech writer, but you seem nice enough, so let’s give it a whirl.”
Rather than discuss partisan issues, Favreau instead focused on his admiration for President Obama and what he learned from his former boss. The first lesson: the story is more important than the words.
“If you don’t take the time to focus on the story you want to tell, no amount of fancy rhetoric, snappy sound bites or slogans will save your speech,” said Favreau.
The Obama campaign’s slogan “Yes We Can” is accredited to Favreau, who said that he believes it sums up the creed of the American people. However, he noted that the campaign started with the story of a people, and the slogan became a manifestation of that —not the other way around.
Favreau discussed the importance of using words and phrases that everyday people understand. In his current business, Fenway Strategies, Favreau consults and writes speeches for celebrities, Fortune 500 CEO and non-profit leaders. He shared his experience working with corporate speechwriters, who oftentimes do not realize that “industry jargon” can detract from a speech.
He was in the unique position of getting to know President Obama’s sense of humor. He described times during Obama’s administration when the president used humor to overcome a controversy, such as when Donald Trump demanded proof of his U.S. birth certificate. While media attention forced the President to produce a copy of his birth certificate, at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama also showed a clip of his “actual birth”: a clip from The Lion King. Favreau drew his fourth lesson from Obama’s response: take your job seriously, but not yourself.
Favreau focused on the importance of honesty and authenticity in storytelling. On inauthenticity in politics, he said, “A lot of this isn’t necessarily malicious lies, it’s just language that’s been so sanded down and sanitized in focus groups, that it has become meaningless.”
Favreau accredits the rise of spin media to the fear of taking risks; in politics, committing a gaffe that receives extended media attention could mean the end of a campaign or a career.
When asked how we can change the culture of spin media, Favreau proposed that we “vote with our feet.” While our worst instincts tend toward gossip, we have to stop looking and stop clicking, so news agencies will realize that what they put out is not what we want. He recognized that even non-partisan cable news channels such as CNN still report on “garbage” in order to “keep people scared.”
While Favreau acknowledged that Donald Trump contributes negatively to spin culture, he also offered the perspective that Trump benefits politics by making other politicians, who are afraid of the gaffe, appear phony. Favreau believes that politicians are moving towards increased authenticity because, “when people communicate to us from a position of power or authority, you’re less likely to believe them when they’re not talking to you like a normal person.” Ultimately, he feels that increased authenticity will help political discourse.
His fifth and final lesson is that storytelling is about maintaining idealism. Favreau insisted that cynicism is a choice, and that people ultimately believe in an upward trajectory. He advised the audience to stay inspired by people who are making a difference. Real change takes time and little successes are important.
Current Fordham students resonated with Favreau’s approach and message. Elizabeth Doty, FCRH ’19, agreed that honesty in writing is essential, because “If you mask your beliefs, you’re hiding from yourself.”
Margaret Rosenblatt, FCRH ’19, liked that Favreau advised speakers not to take themselves seriously. “People don’t like to listen to know-it-alls,” she said.
College Democrats President, Thomas Palumbo, said that they chose Favreau because they wanted a speaker with a direct connection to the Obama administration. With an election year soon upon us, Palumbo hoped that Favreau, who worked on two presidential campaigns, could contrast the ’07 message with today. It cost approximately $19,000 for Favreau to speak at Fordham, which according to Palumbo, is standard.
This semester, the College Democrats have focused on matching students with campaign internship opportunities with Ritchie Torres, the Council member for the 15th District of the New York City Council and the first openly gay candidate to serve a legislative office in the Bronx.Other campaigns have included that of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The club is also preparing for its debate against the College Republicans, which will happen in two weeks.
