Former White House Chief Speechwriter Michael Waldman spent seven years shaping the way the world views presidential policy, Washington, D.C., and the nation. Having worked for one of the country’s greatest communicators, Bill Clinton, Waldman is now one of the country’s leading experts on how presidents use the bully pulpit and a passionate defender of democracy as a leading Constitutional lawyer in this critical election year.
Waldman was Director of Speechwriting for President Clinton from 1995-1999. He was responsible for writing or editing nearly 2,000 speeches, including four State of the Union speeches, two Inaugural Addresses and the 1996 Democratic convention acceptance speech. He was Special Assistant to the President before that, and was the Deputy Communications Director for the 1992 Clinton Gore campaign.
At the podium, Waldman take audiences into the West Wing, conveying what really goes on “behind the bully pulpit,” with captivating, humorous stories from the tumultuous Clinton years — from the Little Rock “War Room” to the heart of the Lewinsky scandal. Waldman’s behind-the-scenes perspective and personal experiences that shaped the presidential message paint a clear picture of life within the White House. In addition, he looks outside the Beltway to offer invaluable lessons for American corporations and organizations on how to communicate with confidence and unwavering values during times of crisis.
He is the author of several books. Publishers Weekly called his memoir POTUS Speaks “lively and entertaining,” and the Washington Monthly raved that it was “rich, honest and funny.” Doris Kearns Goodwin called A Return to Common Sense “a call to arms, which everyone who cares about our democratic system should read, absorb, debate, and then use as a signpost for change.” And My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Speeches of American Presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama (2010 and 2003) was called “nothing less than a primer on U.S. history and the ways issues of government, race and democracy have been viewed during the past 225 years” by Publishers Weekly.
Few people have his perspective on the drama and purpose of American politics. In addition to his time as the top wordsmith for the President, he taught leadership, policy and communications at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and ran the capital’s largest consumer lobbying office. Today he leads the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, a leading Constitutional law think tank and law firm, fighting to protect voting rights and against corruption in campaign financing.
Waldman frequently appears on TV and radio to discuss politics, law and the presidency, including recent appearances on Good Morning America, The Colbert Report, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the CBS Evening News and Nightline. TV networks often ask him to provide color commentary for major presidential speeches and he contributes regularly to many major publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, Bloomberg, Politico and The Washington Post.
