Good article (though a tad gushy). I've been waiting to find out more about Favreau for a while. It's an extraordinary story, and I agree with the other commenters that it says a lot about Obama too.<p>One thing leapt out at me that has nothing to do with speechwriting. A lot of research has been done in the past decade or so on the prolongation of adolescence. It's a category of life that didn't use to exist (people went from childhood straight to adulthood), arose in the form of "teenager" and has been extending ever since. The last thing I read on this said it now extends to the late 20s.<p>Well, this article is a striking example of that phenomenon. The author takes it for granted that a 27 year old would naturally live an adolescent life. It's not just that Favreau became a presidential speechwriter at 27 (though of course that's an amazing achievement by any standard) - it's remarkable that he's doing <i>anything</i> other than goofing around with friends and playing video games. Yet not so long ago, the opposite was the case: it would have been remarkable if a 27 year old were not well along the path of job, marriage, and kids.<p>I'm not commenting on whether this is good or bad, but it's a major social phenomenon.
"Obama edits and rewrites portions himself -- he is the better writer, Favreau insists -- and they usually work through final revisions together."<p>I wonder if the same can be said of other presidents. Some of the classical speeches from the early 20th century are really incredible. I wonder who really wrote them.<p>Obama's acceptance speech was very powerful, too. One of the most powerful speeches I have seen in a while. Comparatively, McCain's speeches seemed to lack a varying style. They felt stale, and even his concession speech was kind of boring.<p>If anything, this article really solidifies my feeling that Obama is a smart guy.
I hate to relate it to startups, really, but I couldn't help but think it sounds so much like a startup that just got acquired. I hope the Whitehouse doesn't do what big companies do to little startups so often. Hopefully the fact that they're not being taken in so much as taking over means it won't be so demotivating. Obama can sign an executive order allowing jeans in the Oval Office, right?
Just ran across this blog entry from the marvelous James Fallows: Jon Favreau is not the youngest chief presidential speechwriter!<p><a href="http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/12/i_am_shocked_to_see_a_factual.php" rel="nofollow">http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/12/i_am_sh...</a><p>(I almost submitted this to HN but it's not really worth a post of its own, so I'll put it here.)
You know its amazing this guy is where he is at such an early age - he is certainly talented. It also speaks volumes about Obama that he recognized talent and obviously knows how to nurture it. I am looking forward to the inaugural address.
But, doesn't he know that Saccharine in large quantities causes cancer?<p>Seriously, though, nothing that Obama's said during the campaign has been remotely memorable to me, though I did stop listening to all his speeches as their numbers accumulated. Were any as memorable as, say, Reagan's "A Time to Choose"? Were any quotable? I'm sure they're on youtube, and I would be willing to turn off the old analytical mind for a moment to listen to a nice piece of performance art from the man, if any exists.<p>And not the "new day in America/ a time for change/ things haven't been going well for a lot of folks/ problems on main street" kind of pablum that I remember from the campaign.
I just wanted to remark that I am thrilled to have a writer in the White House, and someone who thinks of himself as a writer, as a craftsman, as someone who creates things for other people.
The despicable whitewashing of the BHO campaign goes on. Maybe when the newspapers are threatened with looming bankruptcy will they treat that corrupt Chicago gangster with equity (for the sake of sales). Until then, we're stuck with hagiography and cocksuckism writ on a grand strategic scale. The neocons are in firm, firm control. Expect hard-rightism in foreign policy, hard-lefism in domestic policy. Same as Bush. Nothing more disgusting than a sucker repeatedly warned.<p><a href="http://timepassonline.blogspot.com/2008/12/jon-favreau-hillary-clinton-photo.html" rel="nofollow">http://timepassonline.blogspot.com/2008/12/jon-favreau-hilla...</a><p>Yes, the drunk 19-year-olds define public thought. You voted for it, bitches.