Persuasions of a Republican
In the political landscape, it is often emotional decisions that sway voters to one side or another. Whereas a voter is less inclined to change their fundamental values based on an appeal to logic, a savvy politician can use emotional appeals to persuade the public to change their minds, and indeed, to change their vote. The “Confessions of a Republican” ad used a perfect combination of emotion, persuasion, and style to present a cogent argument that helped persuade Republican voters to override their party’s decision and vote for Johnson.
The advertisement opens with a title screen displaying the words, “Confessions of a Republican” (“Confessions”). A respectable man (hereafter called “the narrator”) in a chair turns, opening by declaring, “I don’t feel guilty about being a Republican… I voted for Dwight Eisenhower the first time I ever voted; I voted for Nixon the last time” (“Confessions”). Then the conversation turns, as the narrator remarks, “when we come to Senator Goldwater, now …show more content…
First, trust and relatability are established. The narrator is proud of being a Republican, and is easy to identify with to the generic Republican voter. Only after the trust has been built, does he raise his concerns, starting with those around Goldwater - the cabinet, who “Have strange ideas” (“Confessions”). It is intimated that Goldwater will lead the nation into a nuclear war. “I wish … [Goldwater] had the imagination to shut his eyes and imagine what this country would look like after Nuclear War” (“Confessions”). The narrator re-establishes the trust in him being a Republican, as he yearns to have been at the convention, and to have affected who was picked. He closes with, “I do care. I wish my party hadn’t made a mistake, but now I must correct the mistake” (“Confessions”). The narrator is established as a trustworthy guide, who raises doubts about the candidate the Republicans
In the political landscape, it is often emotional decisions that sway voters to one side or another. Whereas a voter is less inclined to change their fundamental values based on an appeal to logic, a savvy politician can use emotional appeals to persuade the public to change their minds, and indeed, to change their vote. The “Confessions of a Republican” ad used a perfect combination of emotion, persuasion, and style to present a cogent argument that helped persuade Republican voters to override their party’s decision and vote for Johnson.
The advertisement opens with a title screen displaying the words, “Confessions of a Republican” (“Confessions”). A respectable man (hereafter called “the narrator”) in a chair turns, opening by declaring, “I don’t feel guilty about being a Republican… I voted for Dwight Eisenhower the first time I ever voted; I voted for Nixon the last time” (“Confessions”). Then the conversation turns, as the narrator remarks, “when we come to Senator Goldwater, now …show more content…
First, trust and relatability are established. The narrator is proud of being a Republican, and is easy to identify with to the generic Republican voter. Only after the trust has been built, does he raise his concerns, starting with those around Goldwater - the cabinet, who “Have strange ideas” (“Confessions”). It is intimated that Goldwater will lead the nation into a nuclear war. “I wish … [Goldwater] had the imagination to shut his eyes and imagine what this country would look like after Nuclear War” (“Confessions”). The narrator re-establishes the trust in him being a Republican, as he yearns to have been at the convention, and to have affected who was picked. He closes with, “I do care. I wish my party hadn’t made a mistake, but now I must correct the mistake” (“Confessions”). The narrator is established as a trustworthy guide, who raises doubts about the candidate the Republicans