The State of the Union Shouldn’t Be Self-care for Presidents
The State of the Union address is often described, charitably, as a tradition. What it has become, really, is a nostalgia act — an aging rock star who can’t hit the high notes. The speech is played out, exhausted. It needs a reboot.
Essay for the Los Angeles Times
Does the State of the Union Speech Matter Anymore? Here’s What an Expert Says
Former Clinton speechwriter Jeff Shesol spoke to Yahoo News about how the effectiveness of the State of the Union addresses has changed over time — and why.
Interview with Yahoo News
White House Aides Keep Trying to Torch the State of the Union Address. Presidents Keep Getting in the Way.
In 1998, Jeff Shesol, a speechwriter in Bill Clinton’s White House, wrote an internal memo calling for a shorter, tighter speech that focused on one important idea. No one listened.
Interview with NBC News
The Secret to Wealth Is Giving Up Pointless Expenses (and Other Lessons from My Twenty-Eight-Dollar Book)
The No. 1 prerequisite to being rich is having money. People forget this! I would actually recommend getting as much money as you can.
Essay for The New Yorker
Metropolitan Diary: Barney Greengrass
Sarah Gruen quiets down on her first pilgrimage to a New York institution.
Essay for The New York Times
When Freedom Meant the Freedom to Oppress Others
Jefferson Cowie’s powerful and sobering new history, Freedom’s Dominion, traces the close association between the rhetoric of liberty in an Alabama county and the politics of white supremacy.
Book Review for The New York Times
I'm the New York City Marathon, and We Need to Set Some Boundaries
I’m sorry, but I don’t have the emotional capacity to solve all your problems.
Essay for Points in Case
