1. Political Campaigns and Political Rhetoric
Ideology, Rhetoric, Audiences and Consequences

2. What A Campaign Is…
An organized effort to sell a candidate to their voters
Purpose for partisans: win an election , a nomination, a cause of some kind
Purpose for society: part of process for mading a decision about leadership or direction
Tension between these goals?

3. An Example: American Presidential Campaigns
Particular complication: they come in two parts: primary and general
Strategies and appeals in the two are NOT identical. Why?
Think auidence/ decision-makers / voters
BUT who is also listening?

4. Role of Ideology in Campaigns
Informs or gives direction to appeals and strategies.
Provides a rhetoric starting point in appeals to voters.
Sends signals to voters about “us” and “them”

5. Elements of Ideology: The reading
For the Republican/Conservative candidates , what rhetoric, what appeals?
fiscal balance
hard work and individual responsibility
government as disrespectful or tone deaf to these
Suspicious of “big government” as an answer
Believe in the power and efficiency of markets
Liberty
Family

6. For the Democrats/Liberals
Obligations to community/society
Protection form market failures
Equality of opportunity
Government as shield against private power of corporations

7. Analysis of Campaign Appeals
Please read the handout which contains snippets from campaign appeals now being made. Your job is to :
Decide whether the snippet is part of the Republican/Conservative appeal/rhetoric or part of the Democratic/Liberal appeal/rhetoric .
Point to a particular principle of the ideology which is being invoked.

8. The Impacts of The Current Rhetoric
What dangers are there in the rhetoric of the current campaign?
What message is being sent by these quotations? To whom? Who else is listening? With what potential impact?
What is to be done?