 |
The Andrea Mitchell Center PodcastAuthor: Matthew Roth
The ANDREA MITCHELL CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DEMOCRACY aims not just to promote, but to understand, democracy. Global in its outlook, multifaceted in its purposes, the Mitchell Center seeks to contribute to the ongoing quest for democratic values, ideas, and institutions throughout the world. In THE ANDREA MITCHELL CENTER PODCAST, we interview scholars, journalists, and public thinkers grappling with the challenges facing our democracy. Many of the episodes are linked to our other programming, such as our 2018-19 "Democracy in Trouble?" series, our 2019-20 "Reverberations of Inequality" series, and our ongoing "Capitalism / Socialism / Democracy." Other episodes are one-off interviews with scholars associated with the Mitchell Center -- or with thinkers whose work is central to our effort to understand democracy in all of its complexity. Language: en Genres: News, Politics, Science, Social Sciences Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Episode 7.15: Presidential Words Matter: A Conversation with Obama Speechwriter Cody Keenan
Episode 15
Friday, 13 March, 2026
Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. Speech was central to the political success of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, who each emerged through insurgent campaigns bolstered by the energy generated at mass rallies. CODY KEENAN, Director of Speechwriting for the Obama White House, argues that this is where the similarity ends, however. While Obama chose his words carefully in order to navigate the divisions in society and craft a hopeful story of America that foregrounded its ability to change in the face of fear and entrenched prejudice, Trump gives rein to America's reactionary id in a voluminous but largely unstructured stream of speech. In his discussion with historian Matthew Roth, Keenan reflects on the period of the Obama administration at the focus of his bestselling book, Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America, as well as on the art and importance of speechwriting, the state of Democratic politics, and the Obama post-presidency. Keenan is currently a visiting professor at Northwestern University and a partner at the speechwriting firm Fenway Partners.
