Spring Break
Column: The power of political rhetoric
Michelle Murphy/Columnist
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Opinions
With a presidential election just behind us, a state election in the distant future and a Student Government election directly in front of us, political rhetoric is making a timely return.
When you think of political campaigns, there is generally a specific slogan, word or image that immediately comes to mind.
It's no accident; there are people behind the scenes of these political campaigns spending countless hours working to burn these slogans into your brain.
When the governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, ran for president against George H.W. Bush in 1992, there were a few things he said that would stick with him forever.
Clinton wanted to bring to the American people the sense of "down-home goodness" they'd been looking for.
Clinton, reaching back into his roots in Hope, Ark., used the slogan, "I believe in a place called Hope," using Hope to mean that he believed something good was coming and retracing his roots back to the town where he grew up.
Consider when Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for office.
What do you think of when you hear of Roosevelt?
How about "the New Deal"?
This was Roosevelt's path into office: A simple three-word slogan that put forth a new economic model and re-energized the American public.
How about the term "four more years"? That's another invention of a rhetoric professional.
George W. Bush's supporters used it in the 2004 election to say they were in favor of four more years of President Bush.
Barack Obama's campaign did the same, comparing Sen. John McCain's political similarities to Bush.
Once in awhile, there is a political campaign that puts an image in your head that you can't ignore.
When Rod Blagojevich was working on his second gubernatorial campaign, a federal investigation of his predecessor, George Ryan, had recently begun. How did Blagojevich work with this event?
His opponent was Judy Baar Topinka, who served as treasurer under Ryan's administration. It wasn't long before the campaign commercials began to air.
There was Topinka doing the polka with Ryan.
It was Blagojevich's way of saying a vote for Topinka was a vote for Ryan.
Whether it's John F. Kennedy's famous "Ask what you can do for your country" or Clinton's "It's the economy, stupid," everyone can identify with a campaign slogan that sticks with them.
Political rhetoric is an art.
As election seasons roll around, be aware of the amount of political rhetoric around you.
Listen to the slogans and listen to the lines.
Years from now, you'll be saying, " I remember them saying that, and it was brilliant."
Michelle Murphy is a sophomore communications major. She can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
When you think of political campaigns, there is generally a specific slogan, word or image that immediately comes to mind.
It's no accident; there are people behind the scenes of these political campaigns spending countless hours working to burn these slogans into your brain.
When the governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, ran for president against George H.W. Bush in 1992, there were a few things he said that would stick with him forever.
Clinton wanted to bring to the American people the sense of "down-home goodness" they'd been looking for.
Clinton, reaching back into his roots in Hope, Ark., used the slogan, "I believe in a place called Hope," using Hope to mean that he believed something good was coming and retracing his roots back to the town where he grew up.
Consider when Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for office.
What do you think of when you hear of Roosevelt?
How about "the New Deal"?
This was Roosevelt's path into office: A simple three-word slogan that put forth a new economic model and re-energized the American public.
How about the term "four more years"? That's another invention of a rhetoric professional.
George W. Bush's supporters used it in the 2004 election to say they were in favor of four more years of President Bush.
Barack Obama's campaign did the same, comparing Sen. John McCain's political similarities to Bush.
Once in awhile, there is a political campaign that puts an image in your head that you can't ignore.
When Rod Blagojevich was working on his second gubernatorial campaign, a federal investigation of his predecessor, George Ryan, had recently begun. How did Blagojevich work with this event?
His opponent was Judy Baar Topinka, who served as treasurer under Ryan's administration. It wasn't long before the campaign commercials began to air.
There was Topinka doing the polka with Ryan.
It was Blagojevich's way of saying a vote for Topinka was a vote for Ryan.
Whether it's John F. Kennedy's famous "Ask what you can do for your country" or Clinton's "It's the economy, stupid," everyone can identify with a campaign slogan that sticks with them.
Political rhetoric is an art.
As election seasons roll around, be aware of the amount of political rhetoric around you.
Listen to the slogans and listen to the lines.
Years from now, you'll be saying, " I remember them saying that, and it was brilliant."
Michelle Murphy is a sophomore communications major. She can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
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