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3 books match the query 'Speechwriters'

cover of A Border Son: My Life in Activism, Education, and Politics

A Border Son

My Life in Activism, Education, and Politics

Jorge B. Haynes, Jr.with Denise Gamino and Benton Graham

University of Texas Press, 2026

Behind the success of every great politician, inspiring activist, or business titan, there is a staffer; Jorge B. Haynes was that staffer for some of the most influential leaders in Texas, Florida, and California.

Jorge B. Haynes had a knack for finding his way into the rooms where history was being made. From his work boycotting farmworker conditions alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta as a young man in California to his role in President Bill Clinton’s NAFTA war room in the 1990s, he was the man advising some of the country’s most influential leaders and he left an imprint on the monumental moments that defined their time. His career spanned almost five decades, beginning with his decision to leave home in Laredo to serve in the US Air Force. But his service to the country took many different forms. Haynes worked for the Bureau of the Census the first year Latinos were allowed to declare their Hispanic heritage. He wrote speeches and orchestrated pivotal meetings for top political leadership in Texas and later Florida. In the final years of his career, he fought to make college a more accessible path for under-represented students in California.

As his paternal grandmother used to say, “Cuando vas a un lugar donde nunca has estado, finge que has estado allí,” which means, “When you go somewhere that you've never been, pretend like you've been there before.” By the end of his career, there weren’t many places that Haynes hadn’t been.

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cover of Confessions of a Presidential Speechwriter

Confessions of a Presidential Speechwriter

Craig R. Smith

Michigan State University Press, 2014

An avid high school debater and enthusiastic student body president, Craig Smith seemed destined for a life in public service from an early age. As a sought-after speechwriter, Smith had a front-row seat at some of the most important events of the twentieth century, meeting with Robert Kennedy and Richard Nixon, advising Governor Ronald Reagan, writing for President Ford, serving as a campaign manager for a major U.S. senator’s reelection campaign, and writing speeches for a contender for the Republican nomination for president. Life in the volatile world of politics wasn’t always easy, however, and as a closeted gay man, Smith struggled to reconcile his private and professional lives. In this revealing memoir, Smith sheds light on what it takes to make it as a speechwriter in a field where the only constant is change. While bouncing in and out of the academic world, Smith transitions from consultantships with George H. W. Bush and the Republican caucus of the U.S. Senate to a position with Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca. When Smith returns to Washington, D.C., as president and founder of the Freedom of Expression Foundation, he becomes a leading player on First Amendment issues in the nation’s capital. Returning at long last to academia, Smith finds happiness coming out of the closet and reaping the benefits of a dedicated and highly successful career.
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cover of Speechwright: An Insider's Take on Political Rhetoric

Speechwright

An Insider's Take on Political Rhetoric

William F. Gavin

Michigan State University Press, 2011

For almost thirty years, William F. Gavin wrote speeches at the highest levels of government. Speechwright is his insider’s view of politics, a shrewd critique of presidential and congressional rhetoric, and a personal look at the political leaders for whom he wrote speeches. While serving President Richard Nixon and candidate Ronald Reagan, Gavin advocated for “working rhetoric”—well-crafted, clear, hard-hitting arguments that did not off er visions of the unattainable, but instead limited political discourse to achievable ends reached through practical means. Filled with hard-earned wisdom about politics and its discontents, Speechwright describes Gavin’s successes, his failures, and his call for political rhetoric built on strong argument rather than the mere search for eloquence.

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