Rhetoric In Senator George Mcgovern's 'This Time'

Superior Essays
Rhetoric plays an important role in how politicians relay their message to the people. When one talks in rhetoric, it resonates with the common people. It allows the average person to stay focused and gives them a better understanding of the topic. President Barack Obama In the State of the Union Address employs similar rhetoric as Senator George McGovern in the 1972 ad, “This Time” in order to promote their political views and persuade the common people to value their ideas. Good job giving your sources, but include which rhetorical elements you’ll address to create a thesis. Expand.
During the 2016 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama reflects over his presidency and focuses on the current and future issues America is facing.
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This ad consisted of Senator McGovern speaking to a man surrounded by many other ordinary people. The ad starts off with a man stating that his nephew was killed in the Vietnam War. This statement sparks emotion in the audience. It allows American families to relate to his situation and persuades them to think that this war is causing innocent family members to lose their lives. The man proceeds to say that President Nixon is sending people to Russia to help develop the country and McGovern interrupts to say that he believes it is appropriate for Nixon to send help to Russia. This ethical appeal affects voters who are still undecided. He then proceeds to talk from a logical approach about President Nixon targeting Vietnam when China and Russia are larger communist countries. The man concludes by stating that President Nixon was the first republican candidate, he voted for, and he will never vote for a republican again. He then declares that he will be voting for democratic Senator McGovern. This ad leads the American people to believe that Nixon has started a futile war. McGovern allows the people to assume that he would not make such poor decisions if he won the presidential …show more content…
For example, Obama leads me to believe that he has done an excellent job as a president, it makes me think that our next president should have almost identical beliefs and values as Obama so that our country continues to grow rather than allowing all of President Obama’s work to diminish. The McGovern ad leads me to think that Republicans will tarnish the country and that is why having a democratic president such as McGovern is important. These two sources make me wonder if all political candidates try to toy with people’s emotions and ideas so that they can get elected and do as they want. Candidates want to show only their good side, which can be misleading. For example, in the state of the union address Obama explains to us all of his achievements, but not once did we see anything that may have gone wrong during his presidency. His use of rhetoric leads the people to believe that he is a great president, which no doubt, he has had many great achievements, however this may lead the American people into oblivion. In McGovern’s ad, the civilian mentions that he voted for Nixon and later he regretted voting for him. However, there is no guarantee that McGovern will be any good. If Obama and McGovern had a conversation and the only knowledge they had of one another was through the state of the union address and the ad, “This Time,” they would appreciate one another. I believe

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