The “Rise of Presidential Extremist” is an OP-ED piece authored by Larry M. Bartels that was published in The New York Times (date goes here). He is a political scientist at Vanderbilt University, the author of “Democracy for Realists” and one of the editors for the American Academy of Political and Social Science. His article is motivated by the current presidential election. It analyzes the positions of the two major candidates and goes into detail about how they can be successful without appealing to the political center. I am going to use Writing Arguments (WA) to analyze this piece of rhetorical writing.
In his article, Bartels is addressing the political trend of presidential extremism. His motivation occasion or what WA would call “Kairotic …show more content…
It breaks down how contemporary political parties are becoming increasingly distant from many Americans. “If voters choose the candidate closest to them ideologically, moderates will hold the crucial balance of power necessary to win a majority. But contemporary American political parties seem not to have gotten the message. On major issues, their positions routinely diverge from the center of public opinion,..” (1) Bartels attempts to appeal to people who feel that the centrist voters are having a inconsequential effect on the election. The assumption that the intended audience holds is the current election cycle is distancing further than public opinion.
Evaluating an articles genre is an important aspect of a rhetorical analysis. WA defines genre as “a recurring type or pattern of an argument such as a letter to the editor of a political cartoon, or the home page of an advocacy Web site.”(WA 25). Each genre has different features, formats and styles. Bartels’ “Rise of Presidential Extremists” isn't your typical op-ed piece. He relies on evidence to portray his viewpoints and doesn't have a clear bias. In Fact, the work appears to be more formal and informative than most op-ed pieces. Bartels’ article goes in-depth into presidential …show more content…
Wa defines logos as “the logic and structure of arguments.”(WA 56). His multi sided argument allows for a clear structure throughout the piece. Bartels argues include presidential candidates are being successful despite straying away from centrist positions and claims there are various reasons as to why they are becoming more extreme. The first reason is that “ Many analysts argue that candidates… take “extreme” positions because they must cater to the views of the core partisans who provide them with primary votes, enthusiasm and money.”(1). Bartels argues that the popularity contest that is the presidential election can affect candidates views. It is entirely possible candidates support more extreme positions than they personally believe. Another possible reason is “... candidates take extreme stands because they can - the electoral incentive to moderate their positions is too weak to outweigh their own ideological convictions.” (2) Bartels presents a multi sided argument that gives readers a chance to interpret why they think candidates are adopting more extreme
In his article, Bartels is addressing the political trend of presidential extremism. His motivation occasion or what WA would call “Kairotic …show more content…
It breaks down how contemporary political parties are becoming increasingly distant from many Americans. “If voters choose the candidate closest to them ideologically, moderates will hold the crucial balance of power necessary to win a majority. But contemporary American political parties seem not to have gotten the message. On major issues, their positions routinely diverge from the center of public opinion,..” (1) Bartels attempts to appeal to people who feel that the centrist voters are having a inconsequential effect on the election. The assumption that the intended audience holds is the current election cycle is distancing further than public opinion.
Evaluating an articles genre is an important aspect of a rhetorical analysis. WA defines genre as “a recurring type or pattern of an argument such as a letter to the editor of a political cartoon, or the home page of an advocacy Web site.”(WA 25). Each genre has different features, formats and styles. Bartels’ “Rise of Presidential Extremists” isn't your typical op-ed piece. He relies on evidence to portray his viewpoints and doesn't have a clear bias. In Fact, the work appears to be more formal and informative than most op-ed pieces. Bartels’ article goes in-depth into presidential …show more content…
Wa defines logos as “the logic and structure of arguments.”(WA 56). His multi sided argument allows for a clear structure throughout the piece. Bartels argues include presidential candidates are being successful despite straying away from centrist positions and claims there are various reasons as to why they are becoming more extreme. The first reason is that “ Many analysts argue that candidates… take “extreme” positions because they must cater to the views of the core partisans who provide them with primary votes, enthusiasm and money.”(1). Bartels argues that the popularity contest that is the presidential election can affect candidates views. It is entirely possible candidates support more extreme positions than they personally believe. Another possible reason is “... candidates take extreme stands because they can - the electoral incentive to moderate their positions is too weak to outweigh their own ideological convictions.” (2) Bartels presents a multi sided argument that gives readers a chance to interpret why they think candidates are adopting more extreme