He’s only been an elected official since late 2010, but Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has become a polished speaker whose folksy style has helped him rise to the top of the GOP ranks.
But Paul wasn’t always so smooth. “When I was in high school, I’d give my speech from my notecards, and my hands would shake, and I was terrible,” he told Secrets after a campaign event.
Paul’s secret to his speaking confidence: “I rented it off eBay,” he joked, then added that it’s all practice.
“I think there is an analogy to medicine, in the sense that my hands shook the first time I drew blood, too. Now I’m pretty good at stuff like that, and I don’t think twice about cutting into the eye to take a cataract out,” Paul said.
“But you get better at stuff with practice and you also get less likely to have your emotions bother you the more you do it. But I’m still always a little nervous.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
