Projo Politics Blog

Few people in American politics know Joe Biden better than Thomas S. LaFauci of Cranston, who served as the Delaware senator's speechwriter from 2001 to 2007.

"He can be a great orator,'' said LaFauci in an interview today. "When he is on, he is really on. I think tonight he is really going to be on. And he is going.''

"Joe Biden is very, very good when he speaks from the heart,'' says LaFauci, who will watch the speech on TV. "I think that is what you are going to see tonight.

One problem Biden has faced is stuttering, particularly as a youngster, LaFauci said. "He used to memorize everything, especially when he was a kid in school, because when he stood up in front of the class he didn't want to get teased.''

"People who stutter are sometimes not comfortable with the written word,'' said LaFauci. "A teleprompter can be a bit better.''

On a personal level, LaFauci said Biden was a "great guy to work for. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He and Jill (Biden's wife) are really genuine family people and they treat everybody in the office like family."

LaFauci remembers huddling with Biden upon the death of Strom Thurmond, the onetime defender of the southern Jim Crow system of race relations. Thurmond led the walkout of white southern delegates from the 1948 Democratic National Convention over the civil rights issue. That year, Thurmond ran for president on the Dixiecrat ticket.

Over the years, Thurmond had shed his racist past and little by little began to apologize for some of his past actions.

"After Joe was picked to give a eulogy of Thurmond, we really struggled over what to say,'' recalled LaFauci. "Finally he made it into a speech about redemption and it was very good and very well-received.''

LaFauci is a veteran Democratic political scribe who has also written speeches for Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, for U.S. House Speaker Thomas Foley of Washington State and former Providence mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr.

 Tags  Biden Democratic Convention speechwriter Thomas S. LaFauci Thurmond vice-president

Comments

Ron Ohlhausen said:

Do you have a contact email address or phone number for Thomas S. LaFauci?

Thank you.

Link | August 28, 2008 12:38 PM
Report Abuse

---

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.