# Politicians who "speak for their constituents." **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 26, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712 "2014-06-26T16:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/1 "2014-06-26T16:51:03Z")
Maybe this is not, strictly, an electoral question (and maybe in the wrong category) I am a political junkie. And when you watch or listen to many political shows, you notice the wide range of accents and dialects in English. Many politicians, especially senators/representatives, seem to play up their regional accent more than people in other professions. New York congressmen always seem to sound like they grew up playing stickball, southern congressmen often drawl like they have Mint Julep on their breath. Does anyone have a local politician who really captures the essence of their locale in their speech patterns? Are politicians hideous caricatures of their home accent? Also, we often notice when politicians decidedly don’t sound like their home constituency. Norm Coleman from Minnesota, for instance, sounded like a New Yorker. Any current examples? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/2 "2014-06-30T02:20:09Z")
When Kit Bond was in statewide office (governor and senator) in Missouri, he tried to bridge the urban-rural split by pronouncing the name of the state as “Missour-ah” in his campaign ads, while the announcer pronounced it “Missour-ee.” ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/3 "2014-06-30T22:41:16Z")
Not very recent, but everyone was perplexed by Governor Tom Kean of New Jersey in the '80’s. He is from NY, governor of NJ, but he talked like he was from Mass. Have a listen: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUsnESf3Ug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUsnESf3Ug) He went to High School in Mass., but that should not define his speech pattern… ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/4 "2014-06-30T23:36:49Z")
Gov. Lorax spoke for the trees. I’m so sorry ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/5 "2014-06-30T23:51:39Z")
Ed Rendell, former mayor of Philadelphia and former governor of Pennsylvania, speaks with a bit of a Philly accent. I don’t think this was an act of any kind. I believe his love of cheesesteaks and the Phillies are genuine. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/6 "2014-07-01T02:52:39Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Gov. Lorax spoke for the trees. So did [Clint Eastwood.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn8YubD01sk&feature=kp) Spoke to chairs, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/8 "2014-07-08T09:30:42Z")
FIFA spam reported. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/9 "2014-09-18T03:58:09Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Ed Rendell, former mayor of Philadelphia and former governor of Pennsylvania, speaks with a bit of a Philly accent. I don’t think this was an act of any kind. I believe his love of cheesesteaks and the Phillies are genuine. One accent I could never figure out was Arlen Specter’s. He represented Pennsylvania, he was originally from Kansas, Yet, he sounded like he was from the south. > **[Arlen Specter: "Santorum is too extreme"](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/arlen-specter-santorum-is-too-extreme/)** > > In an interview on "Face to Face," the former senator says "America is finding out what Pennsylvanians knew" about his former colleague ---
**Author:** ![NineLineMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9e8a1a/32.png) [@NineLineMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineLineMan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/10 "2014-09-18T04:44:53Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > Not very recent, but everyone was perplexed by Governor Tom Kean of New Jersey in the '80’s. He is from NY, governor of NJ, but he talked like he was from Mass. Have a listen: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUsnESf3Ug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUsnESf3Ug) He went to High School in Mass., but that should not define his speech pattern… High school is probably when you’re the most likely to try your hardest toadapt to fit in with your peers. Maybe it just stuck. Fake it till you make it. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-speak-for-their-constituents/691712/11 "2014-09-18T11:23:22Z")
Haley Barbour has a very clear Mississippi accent.