I’m going to admit up front that I’m a terrible speaker. It took me five times to pass a crucial speech class I had to have to get my degree at Western Washington.
I resorted to something I do not endorse anybody else do what I did to finally pass it. I sat in my car prior to class and drank beer. I was buzzed and dropping my notes while I gave it in front of class.
It worked. I was given a C for the drunken speech and a C on my final grade ensued, and I got my degree.
Whew!!!
For the record I have not drank anything except water for the past 27 years.
My ability to speak in front of a crowd has not improved. I was a delegate for Bernie Sanders a few years ago and had to speak on that support to move on to the state level.
I failed miserably. A friend told me it was one of the worst speeches he had heard. It’s not that I don’t have plenty of knowledge on subjects, it’s just that I choke in front of people.
To balance this out, I will tell you that I once gave the speech of my life at the local union hall to counter an attempt by a company spy to derail our union push.
It was unbelievable. I now know what comedians go through when their gig is a smash hit. I felt like I had my fellow union people in my hands and the powerful feeling that ensured was unlike anything I could have imagined.
But I regress. The reason I write this is because of the speech Michelle Obama gave last night (August 20d) at the Democratic National Convention.
It was one of the best speeches I have heard, and I have heard several great ones. The amazing thing is Michelle is not a firebrand politician. She has been encouraged to run for public office but is steadfast against it. She is content to work behind the scenes to make our country better.
She for her to make the speech she did, including attacking Trump, is not something she is comfortable with, although she is confident that she is right when she does speak. Even Barack, a great speaker himself and a former two-term President, knows where he stands when it comes to his wife. He was second to speak behind Michelle and admitted, “I was the only one stupid enough to follow Michelle” at the podium.
Like I did at that union hall, Michelle had thousands at the United Center in Chicago in her hands. They were mesmerized by her, alternating between tears, laughter, and being overwhelmed by her brilliance.
And she didn’t need one beer.
