Stuttering and Politics Mix Well

Jan. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Stuttering hasn’t kept men and women out of politics. Take Joe Biden, the vice-president elect.

Biden is one of many leaders from all backgrounds and political parties who has dealt effectively with stuttering. Others include Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr., British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf, former Alaska Gov. Bill Sheffield, Prince Albert of Monaco, and even King George VI.

Nowadays Biden is known as a loquacious orator. But that wasn’t always the case. As a child, Biden stuttered and was teased by his classmates and even by some of his teachers. But that didn’t stop him. Using techniques like those outlined in Self-Therapy for the Stutterer, he practiced reading aloud in front of a mirror and worked hard to overcome this distressing disorder.

“Joe Biden’s success has helped to dispel some of the myths that still surround stuttering,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation. “He and others serve as an inspiration to the 3 million Americans who struggle with this disorder.”

Biden is included on the Stuttering Foundation list of Famous People Who Stutter.

The Stuttering Foundation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization helping those who stutter and their families. Web sites, www.stutteringhelp.org and www.tartamudez.org, offer free resources and streaming videos. Call 800-992-9392 for more information.