Cody Keenan Speech Coverage

The Liberal Arts Forum at Elon University hosted Cody Keenan, a former director of
speechwriting for President Barack Obama, on Feb. 25. Keenan spoke about his time at the
White House and his unexpected career as a speechwriter. ​ “Show up, dive in,” Keenan told his
mostly student audience. “Don't wait for someone else to set an example.”

Cody Keenan is an alumni of Northwestern University where he studied political science. In

2008 he took a full-time job on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. He continues to work as
a speechwriter for Obama. Here are four takeaways from his speech at Elon.

1) It is important to take risks and try new things in your career.

Keenan identified with the reality that many​ ​young people do not know what they want to pursue
after graduation. “I’d never considered speechwriting,” he said.

When initially entering the field working in the Senate office of Ted Kennedy, Keenan had a
naive mindset. “I went to a good school, I’d seen every episode of ‘The West Wing’. How
difficult can this be?” he said. “It turns out it is really hard.” Keenan took a risk in starting a new
career. By doing so, he found work he was passionate about.

2) It takes dedication and hard work to gain career success.

Keenan argued that it takes commitment to develop success in a new career, as many young
people lack experience in the field.

“You don’t solve the world’s problems in an hour,” he said.

Keenan argued many political issues will not be solved easily as there is great tension between
parties. However, he believes work in this field is very important.

Ultimately, political work is a “collaborative exercise to move the ball forward,” he said.

Keenan emphasized that his work is exhausting, yet equally fulfilling.

3) Political Participation from young people is crucial to democracy.

During the speech, he discussed how he has used his career in speechwriting to “demystify”
politics. He also said he wants to get more young people engaged in politics.

“The single most powerful word in our democracy is ‘we’,” he said.

People need to defend their opinions, join marches, and increase voter turnout, he said.

Ultimately, “the work of America is not just limited to those who work in politics,” Keenan said.
He believes that individuals, particularly young people, have the power to make a difference if
they increase their political participation. Issues around climate change, immigration, and taxes
can be changed through their help, he argued.

Keenan cited higher political engagement figures for young people in the 2018 midterm as a
hopeful sign. He hopes to see this trend continue.

4) It is important to have passion for your work.

While working at the White House, Keenan worked on 3,577 speeches. “I threw myself into the
job,” he said, adding “I was fortunate to work for someone who viewed speechwriting as a
craft.”

Speechwriting inspired Keenan to “change hearts, and minds, and laws,” he said. He hopes that
others find the same passion to make strides toward their goals.

Sadie Traylor, a sophomore policy studies major enjoyed listening to Keenan’s speech.

“As someone who takes a lot of political science and policy classes and talks about political
science through a more objective lens, I thought that was a really different twist on it to hear
from a speechwriter’s point of view,” she said. “It felt more artistic.”

Daria Sprague, a junior strategic communications major, enjoyed the honest and candid approach
Keenan took when delivering his speech.

“I appreciated that he didn't try to sugarcoat it,” Sprague said. “I liked how he talked about how
to maximize more voters and how to appeal to a larger audience that isn't just Democrats.”