For almost every delivered speech, there exists an undelivered opposite. These “second speeches” provide alternative histories of what could have been if not for schedule changes, changes of heart, or momentous turns of events. Listen as political speechwriter and analyst Jeff Nussbaum explains why studying these speeches is so vital in helping understand what actually did happen. One of our greatest shows! Episode 522.
John Lewis Speech: John Lewis – March on Washington Speech – August 28, 1963
King Edward VIII Abdication Speech: King Edward VIII’s Abdication Speech 1936
Ike Talking about D-Day in 1964: CBS Reports (1964): “D-Day Plus 20 Years – Eisenhower Returns to Normandy”
—
Buzzkill Bookshelf:
Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History Paperback – May 2, 2023
by Jeff Nussbaum
A fascinating insight into notable political speeches that were never delivered, showing what could have been if history had gone down a different path.
For almost every delivered speech, there exists an undelivered opposite. These “second speeches” provide alternative histories of what could have been if not for schedule changes, changes of heart, or momentous turns of events.
In Undelivered, political speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum presents the most notable speeches the public never heard, from Dwight Eisenhower’s apology for a D-Day failure to Richard Nixon’s refusal to resign the presidency, and even Hillary Clinton’s acceptance for a 2016 victory―the latter never seen until now.
Examining the content of these speeches and the context of the historic moments that almost came to be, Nussbaum considers not only what they tell us about the past but also what they can inform us about our present.
