Oh, George Washington, do we need you now. And not for your commitment to public service or willingness to leave office after two terms as president.
No, we need you for your brevity – a thought prompted by the “state of the union” address that one of your successors gave last night.
Joe Biden’s speech stretched to more than 6,500 words. He spoke for a few seconds shy of 62 minutes.
And he was brief by modern standards. Bill Clinton spoke for nearly 89 minutes in 2000, winning the award – if there were one – for the longest-ever “state of the union” speech. Donald Trump is runner-up for his 2019 SOTU speech of 82 minutes.
Damn that’s long. And boring. And of little use to, you know, real people. Surely the phrase “long-winded politician” is redundant.
Guys, we’re asleep!
In contrast, dearest Mr. Washington, you were a model of brevity. Your first “state of the union” speech, in 1790, was just 1,090 words.
Hey, presidents. God made “delete” keys for a reason. Use yours. Then deliver a soaring speech – in 15 minutes.
Right on, Jeff! Let the delete keys of the speechwriters be smoking hot.
Greatest Presidential speech? Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. Two minutes, less than 275 words. The man knew how to make a point.
❤
Exactly right.