Former Speechwriters Reflect on Political Careers

Harvard Kennedy School students and undergraduates gathered Tuesday in the John F. Kennedy, Jr. forum to hear stories and career advice from former political speechwriters Jonathan J. Finer ’98 and Sarah K. Hurwitz ’99.

In a conversation moderated by Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf, Finer and Hurwitz—who, between the two of them, have worked for former presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State John Kerry—fielded audience questions and shared tips for pursuing careers in public service.

Both panelists described their careers as often random and unplanned, and often the result of “happenstance” with hard work.

Hurwitz told attendees that she worked as a speechwriter first working for Al Gore and then Tom Harkin, then a Democratic senator from Iowa. Hurwitz, however, said she did not excel under the direction of Harkin’s staff, and eventually went to law school.

“I’m always suspicious of people who can write their five-year plan on a napkin, that usually doesn’t pan out. I think my career is proof of that.” Hurwitz said.

Finer echoed Hurwitz, adding that careers in government often require a level of spontaneity.

“I am not a planner. I tend to book flights two hours before they take off—and that goes for my career experience as well,” he said. Finer said he ended up in journalism—he worked at the Washington Post for several years—“almost totally by accident.”

Both panelists also said they found amiable personalities to be necessary in their field, though they said such traits are difficult to detect.

Specifically, while hiring for senior positions during his time as John Kerry’s chief of staff, Finer said he looked for cooperative instincts in employees.

“I believe that ambition is a good thing, as long as it’s channeled towards the mission and less towards the advancement of that individual, it’s an important distinction… Low drama, low ego, is a huge plus and a hard thing to assess in a job interview, that’s why there are things like references.” Finer said.

Both Finer and Hurwitz said they found their careers both successful and rewarding, but not without ups and downs. Hurwitz described many experiences on the job as “very physically taxing.”

“Those moments of uncertainty where you just don’t know—they’re hard,” she said. “And I think a lot of success in politics is just muscling through them.”

Finer said he thinks young people often underestimate the impact they can have while working within the government.

“You have the ability to do incredible things in government at a young age,” he said. “It shouldn’t be a hard sell.”

—Staff writer Lucas Ward can be reached at lucas.ward@thecrimson.com. Follow him on twitter at @LucaspfWard.