The Swift Report: President's New Speaking Style Charms Press, Public

Bush_thumb Members of both the press and the public are giving a big hand to President Bush's new forthright speaking style. Mr. Bush is winning praise for foregoing spin, handlers and GOP talking points and taking his message directly to the people.

Hard to put a finger on what's different about the President, say observers

By Deanna Swift

WASHINGTON, DC—President Bush demonstrated his new, less scripted style of addressing the press and the public this week. The rollout of the Presidential makeover took place at the Capitol where Mr. Bush had been meeting with congressional Republicans. Instead of speaking to the American people through a formal press conference--a venue that even administration officials admit doesn't flatter the President--Mr. Bush appealed directly to the public, a gesture both bold and intimate, say observers.

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The measure of a man
Mr. Bush's brief but eloquent statement is a far cry from his often strained television appearances in the past. The President appears relaxed and confident, unhampered by the GOP talking points that so often dictate the message of this White House from day to day. Nor is their any sign of the nervousness that characterized much of his performance during the 2004 presidential debates. This Mr. Bush seems to have no trouble settling upon what he wants to say—and delivering that message in a brief and powerful fashion.

Bypassing the filter
Bush_makeover Throughout his time in office, Mr. Bush has expressed repeated frustration with what he calls the media 'filter,' a liberal media elite that purposely underplays his administration's successes, while exaggerating its challenges. The president's new speaking style, say aides and communication specialists, is a conscious attempt to bypass the media filter, and deliver his message right to the American people.

"This is a president who speaks from his heart," says Lindsey Elvin-Hochschild, global director of strategic marketing at Ketchum Communications, the public relations firm that produced the new spot. "When the American people see what he really thinks, and how eloquently he can express his beliefs, we think they're going to fall in love with him all over again."

A salute to the American people
So far, reactions to the president's new, unvarnished delivery style have been uniformly positive. At a focus group, convened by the White House communications office last week, 15 supporters of President Bush were asked to view the video spot and explain why they liked it.

Russ Davis, a 47 year-old retail manager from Corpus Christi, TX, had no trouble putting his finger on what it was about the president's performance that touched him. "I look at President Bush and I think 'this is a man who is speaking right to me. He's looking me right in the eye and telling me 'brother: here's what I think of you.'"

White House communications officials say that the president doesn't plan to confine his new conversational approach to video tape. After his five week vacation, Mr. Bush will resume stumping on behalf of his plan to privatize the Social Security system, giving him plenty of opportunities to show off his new style in person: to live audiences of senior citizens.

Deanna Swift can be reached at [email protected] .