Ben Rhodes: “The Best Speakers Build Movements”
5/25/202655 min
Ben Rhodes believes “we’ve lost the art of speaking to one another.” Amid the megaphone of social media sound bites and the ever-increasing coarseness of our politics, the speechwriter and former Obama Deputy National Security Advisor identifies something that can make or break us: communication. He joins Nicolle this week to talk about his new book, “All We Say,” which tells the story of America through 15 of its most pivotal speeches. From Benjamin Franklin’s carefully crafted argument at the Constitutional Convention to FDR’s “Four Freedoms” speech that defined a national identity on the precipice of a world war, to Barack Obama’s bold address on race in America, Ben traces the uniquely American spirit that lives through the words that have changed the course of history. And while leaders like Vice President JD Vance seek to divide with rhetoric, Ben sees promise in young leaders who are telling a compelling story and painting a clear picture of the America they envision. “The best speakers,” Ben tells Nicolle, “build movements.”
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Speaker 11:00
Trump is telling a story. It, it's a pretty... You know, he's tapping into pretty deep currents in American history, and, and not good ones. What are we tapping into in response, and, and how can we use words? You can't do this in an op-ed. You can't... Uh, uh, speeches are distinct, and they are where we build a connection with an audience that can become a movement, that can change things. And, and, and I think we're gonna need that to get out of this.
Unknown speaker1:28
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