E-Tips

Speaking of Impeachment...

Happy New Year! As we begin the last year of the millennium, the United States Senate is debating whether or not to remove our president from office. Whether you hate the process or love it; whether you hate politicians, or respect them, I think you'll admit that this is a remarkable time in our history.

Watching the impeachment hearings in the House of Representatives several weeks ago, I was struck with the power of the rhetoric. Whatever else they do, one thing politicians usually do well is deliver speeches. With that in mind, here are several examples of the art of speaking that we can all learn from.

Repetition - Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Florida

"...Our work today is not about providing health insurance for more Americans. It is not about peace in the Middle East, or ending the slaughter in Kosovo. It is not about saving Social Security...

"I am not proud of what we are doing here today...I am not proud of the personal conduct of the president...I am not proud of his moral lapses in judgment...I am not proud of this prosecutor Ken Starr...I am not proud of the political attack culture in Washington...nor am I proud of those in the media...

"Now, I'd like to tell you what I am proud of. I am proud of this document (holds up the Constitution). I am proud of the founding fathers who authored it...I am proud of the millions of Americans who've sifted through mounds of disturbing material to reach the conclusion...I am also proud of the basic decency of the American people..."

Repetition - Rep. Richard Gephardt, D- Missouri

"Let all of us here today say 'no' to resignation, 'no' to impeachment, 'no' to hatred, 'no' to intolerance of each other, and 'no' to vicious self-righteousness."

Opening and Closing With the Same Image -
Rep. Bill Jenkins, R - Tennessee.

Opening: "I recently visited the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I went to see again the cemetery and the place where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address. That place brings thoughts of hardship and sacrifice and courage and suffering on both sides of that great conflict. Our nation survived that ordeal that divided us. In time we grew stronger because of it. Today this committee begins an undertaking with the potential to again divide this nation...

Ending: "...I'll be mindful, in all these deliberations, of the memories of those who suffered and died at Gettysburg, because it's those soldiers who've afforded us the privilege to engage in self government..."

Keeping Focus On Higher Purpose -
Rep. George Gekas, R - Pennsylvania

"...and so it is on the question of perjury. In the courthouse, which is so familiar to all of us, in every seat of every county government in the United States, the entire structure is bolstered, not by the concrete of its foundation, but by the oath. The oath taken by the judge to exercise his responsibilities, an oath taken by the jury to exercise its responsibilities, an oath taken by the sheriff, by the bailiff, by the clerk of court to administer justice. If that oath is not respected, then all of us lose a chance to have justice.

"To allow, then, a witness to pervert the entire process by giving false testimony, by committing perjury, crushes down against this courthouse and it collapses. If we cannot - as American citizens -recognize the necessity for a strong perjury statute and its enforcement, then we are our own worst enemies if we are to establish and further justice in our own country."

Use of Couplets - President Bill Clinton

"I want the American people to know today that I am still committed to working with people of good faith and good will of both parties to bring our nation together, to lift our people up to move us all forward together. It's what I tried to do for six years. Its what I intend to do for two more, until the last hour of the last day of my term."

So whatever else they do that earns our admiration or our contempt, one thing is certain, most politicians can put a good talk together.