The Sound of Leadership

An exhaustive analysis of the public speaking of modern-day presidents from Truman to Reagan, by Hart (Communication/Univ. of Texas, Austin), author of Public Communications, The Political Pulpit, and Verbal Style and the Presidency. For most of us, it began with the Kennedy-Nixon Debates, when an entire election seemed to hinge on poor makeup. Down the years it continued: Carter donning a cozy sweater for his version of a fireside chat, or Reagan's christening as "the Great Communicator." Suddenly, it seemed that what was said wasn't as important as how or where it was said or how the speaker looked saying it. Hart has analyzed over 10,000 presidential speeches in an effort to demonstrate that in the age of media glitz, public speech has replaced public action. Presidents, he suggests, have trained the public to feel that as long as the President is talking, much is being done. In a dizzying display of research, Hart argues that ritual is predominant over thought, that communication has become tarnished, and that all depends upon image. He provides a training guide, in a sense, to instruct citizens on just what to listen for and how to be selective. Besides the effect on the public of this verbal saturation, Hart shows the squalid effect on presidents as well, as they forfeit all "hiding places." Presidents must discuss with the public "why they sleep as often as they do, why they converse with their adolescent children about foreign policy, and what they say to their wives when settling down for the evening." Despite a tendency to be overly analytical ("the simplest speech act - say, a street-corner greeting - is a primitive power move"), Hart's research is solid, non-biased, awesome - and a good preparation for avoiding the next campaign's assault of words. (Kirkus Reviews)