Bob Shrum: Difference between revisions

| image = Bob Shrum on the Campaign Tapes.jpg

'''Robert M. "Bob" Shrum''' (born July 21, 1943) is the Directordirector of the [[USC Center for the Political Future|Center for the Political Future]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/staff/robert-m-shrum/|title=USC Center for the Political Future|website=dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref> and the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at the [[University of Southern California]], where he is a Professorprofessor of the Practice of Politicalpolitical Sciencescience in the [[USC Dornsife|Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.]] He is a former American [[Political consulting|political consultant]], who has worked on numerous [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] campaigns, including as senior advisor to the [[John Kerry presidential campaign, 2004|Kerry-Edwards campaign]] in 2004 and to the [[Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000|Gore-Lieberman]] campaign in 2000. Shrum wrote the [[The Dream Shall Never Die|famous speech]] [[Ted Kennedy]] gave at the [[1980 Democratic National Convention]] conceding to and supporting President [[Jimmy Carter]].<ref name="American Rhetoric">[http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tedkennedy1980dnc.htm American Rhetoric]</ref> In spite of his involvement with many losing campaigns, heHe has been described as "the most sought-after consultant in the Democratic Party."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/05/kerry-s-consigliere/302942/|title=Kerry's Consigliere|last=Lizza|first=Ryan|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-01-29|language=en-US}}</ref> Shrum served as speechwriter to New York Mayor [[John Lindsay|John V. Lindsay]] from 1970 to 1971, speechwriter to Senator [[George McGovern]]'s presidential[[George campaign,McGovern 1972|George McGovern'spresidential campaign|1972 Presidentialpresidential campaign]] and speechwriter and press secretary to Senator [[Ted Kennedy|Edward M. Kennedy]] from 1980 to 1984 and political consultant until 2009.

Shrum's book, ''No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner'', was published in June 2007 by [[Simon & Schuster|Simon and Schuster]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/noexcuses00robe|title=No Excuses|date=2008-06-24|isbn=9780743296526|language=en|last1=Shrum|first1=Robert|publisher=Simon & Schuster }}</ref>

Shrum was born in [[Connellsville, Pennsylvania]] on July 21, 1943,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/07/22/personalities/d10ca853-ebb8-48db-b12a-10af572b5f38/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630025024/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/07/22/personalities/d10ca853-ebb8-48db-b12a-10af572b5f38/ |archive-date=2018-06-30 |title=PERSONALITIES - The Washington Post|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref> the son of Cecilia (Welsh) and Clarence Shrum. His father was a tool-and-die maker and his maternal grandfather was a member of the [[Pennsylvania State Senate]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/nyregion/27profile.html?_r=0|title=It's Back to School for a Beaten Political Warrior|newspaper=The New York Times|date=27 January 2005|last1=Hedges|first1=Chris}}</ref> His mother was from an Irish immigrant family.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AaTfe9RUIIkC&pg=PT447&lpg=PT447&dqq=Cecilia+welsh+shrum#v=onepage&qpg=Cecilia%20welsh%20shrum&f=falsePT447 |title = No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner|isbn = 9781416545583|last1 = Shrum|first1 = Robert|date = 2007-06-05| publisher=Simon & Schuster }}</ref> Shrum was raised in [[Los Angeles]]. He is a graduate of [[Loyola High School of Los Angeles]] and [[Georgetown University]] (where he was named the outstanding debater at the 1965 national [[policy debate]] championship, the [[National Debate Tournament]]). On December 21, 1965, he made his first television appearance as a law student, debating [[Henry Kissinger]] on a broadcast of the CBS program ''Town Meeting of the World.''<ref>[https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/11786604 Yale University Library, "Town Meeting of the World," CBS, Dec 21, 1965]</ref> He later received a [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree from [[Harvard Law School]].

Shrum began his political career as a speechwriter in 1970, first for Republican New York City Mayor [[John Lindsay]], and then for United States Senators [[Edmund Muskie]] and [[Ted Kennedy]]. Shrum was also a speechwriter for 1972 Democratic Party presidential nominee [[George McGovern]] as well as for 1976 Democratic Party presidential nominee [[Jimmy Carter]]. Shrum worked for Governor Carter for a total of ten days, and quit the night Carter won the Pennsylvania Primary. In his resignation letter to Carter, Shrum wrote "I am not sure what you believe in, other than yourself."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfNPudFLctwC&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dqq=I+am+not+sure+what+you+believe+in,%2C+other+than+yourself+shrum#v=onepage&qpg=I%20am%20not%20sure%20what%20you%20believe%20in,%20other%20than%20yourself%20shrum&f=falsePA95|title=Advice from the Presidents: The Student's Guide to Reaching the Top in Business and Politics: The Student's Guide to Reaching the Top in Business and Politics|last=Thomas|first=G. Scott|date=2008-06-30|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313356636|language=en}}</ref>

====Non-Presidentialpresidential campaigns====

In 19861976, Shrum began work as a political consultant, designing campaign advertising and message strategy for Democratic candidates at the presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial levels, partnering with [[Patrick Caddell|Pat Caddell]] and David Doak. Their first client was [[Gerald Baliles|Jerry Baliles]], who was running to succeed [[Chuck Robb]] as governor of Virginia.

The partnership with Pat Caddell dissolved in 1986, and Doak and Shrum continued to work together through a new firm for nine years. During their partnership, they served as strategic consultants and ad-makers for the successful campaigns of [[Bob Casey Sr.|Bob Casey]] for Governor of Pennsylvania, [[Alan Cranston]] for reelection to the Senate in California, and [[Barbara Mikulski]] for Senate in Maryland. Mikulski would go on to become the first woman who was elected to the Senate who did not have a husband or father who served in high political office.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cVtFJ5tvINsC&pg=PA308&lpg=PA308&dqq=almanac+of+american+politics+mikulski#v=onepage&qpg=almanac%20of%20american%20politics%20mikulski&f=falsePA308|title=Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics|last=Ford|first=Lynne E.|date=2010-05-12|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=9781438110325|language=en}}</ref>

The firm continued to grow, acquiring new partners such as Peter Harris, Michelle Carrier, and [[Mike Donilon]], while political consultants [[Joe Trippi]] and [[Steve McMahon (consultant)|Steve McMahon]] began their media consulting careers at the firm.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/noexcusesconcess00shru|url-access=registration|quote=Joe trippi.|title=No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner|last=Shrum|first=Robert|date=2007-06-05|publisher=Simon and& Schuster|isbn=9781416545583|language=en}}</ref>

Doak, Shrum, and Associates worked on the following campaigns, among others:<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/noexcusesconcess00shru|url-access=registration|quote=No excuses shrum.|title=No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner|last=Shrum|first=Robert|date=2007-06-05|publisher=Simon and& Schuster|isbn=9781416545583|language=en}}</ref>

* [[Alex PinellasPenelas]] for mayor of Miami-Dade County

* [[Parris Glendening|Perris Glendening]] for governor of Maryland

Shrum was a columnist for ''[[The Week]]'' magazine's website along with his conservative counterpart, [[David Frum]]. As a journalist, Shrum’s work appeared in ''[[New York Magazine]]'', ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'', and [[The New Republic]], among other publications.

He now holds the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at the [[University of Southern California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/1600/shrum-named-warschaw-chair-in-practical-politics/|title=Shrum Named Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics > News > USC Dornsife|date=14 January 2014 }}</ref> At USC, Shrum hosts regular talks, called "Political Conversations," with individuals from every side of the political sphere. The events are open to all students at the university. Shrum, a Democrat, serves as Director of the [https://dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/ USC Center for the Political Future], and he shares the leadership post with Co-Director [[Mike Murphy (political consultant)|Mike Murphy]], his long-time Republican rival and friend. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/about-cpf/about/|title=USC Center for the Political Future|website=dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-skelton-bob-shrum-mike-murphy-usc-politics-20180910-story.html|title=Capitol Journal: Two longtime political street fighters have a new cause: restoring civility to Trump-era public discourse|date=2018-09-10|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref>

Shrum is married to Marylouise Oates,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/greathomesanddestinations/25away.html|title=Writers’Writers' Retreat on Cape Cod|last=Cohen|first=Billie|date=2008-04-25|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-20|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> a writer and former columnist for the ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]''. He has one stepson, the television writer Michael Oates Palmer.

[[Category:PeopleJournalists from Los Angeles]]