Whenever I think about a president and how I might be able to live with him for the next four years, I listen to his voice. These kinds of questions come to mind:
Who are they trying to reach? Is it me? Are they authentic? What are they masking? Can I really understand what they’re saying? Does their voice embrace the human experience? Can they show compassion?
Politics aside, let’s take a look at past presidents and see how they did, and then let’s look at President-elect Joe Biden:
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan’s well-trained actor voice was warm and round. That combination that softened his wicked sense of humor equaled a presidential groundedness and confidence we rarely see. At times, though, that very warmth made me drowsy.
George W. Bush
The slippery folksiness of George W. Bush was hardly convincing. Dumbing his speech down to reach me simply didn’t work.
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton was a YES. He could be folksy without being condescending. He could handle conflict with ease, and he could get down in the dirt with us all while still retaining his relentless charisma. Most of all he showed a sense of humor – a true sign of confidence, and a quality I always want.
Barack Obama
Obama’s smart voice I loved even though it almost always felt restrained, and understandably so. He was able to share his charm when he let forth his joyous humor, followed by an open smile. His awkward academic pauses mid-sentence, however, made me want to call his fluffy dog Beau on stage for some tail-wagging just to loosen things up.
Joe Biden
And then there’s Biden. The dread of his quiet voice after four years of #45’s non-sensical, had me worried, very worried. Biden’s refrain, “Look,” getting us to listen combined with his sporadic stumbling planted that nagging question in the back of my mind: will his voice be strong enough to match the needs of the times?
But then came November 7th.
Joe Biden jogged onto the stage of what might as well have been a drive-in movie. Covid and social distancing offered the perfect vocal challenge to speak loudly, shout even, to be heard above the joyous eruptions and car horns filling the large open parking lot in Wilmington, Delaware.
The commitment and conviction in his voice were unmatched. His job ahead so daunting. His win so contested. All those 70+ years of dreaming about being president while at the same time tackling a stutter came together when this man came face to face with the future of an America in trouble. Joe Biden met his vocal challenge head-on.
Joe Biden Delivered!
If he stutters in the future I won’t care because, in the end, it’s not his voice I want to listen to, but everything he has to say and will do. And that, President-Elect Biden, is something I can live with for the next four years!
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