Convincing Arguments

I watched the third and final presidential debate in which domestic policies were addressed. I noticed that most of the rhetoric used was deliberative (Future tense). Obama utilizes mostly deliberative and demonstrative rhetoric, as does McCain. The rhetorical form that is almost never used is forensic rhetoric (past tense). Deliberative rhetoric is the one mostly used. 

Obama:

1. Future (deliberative): During the time 5 min to about 6 or seven min, Obama says that “Number one, let's focus on jobs. I want to end the tax breaks for companies that are shipping jobs overseas and provide a tax credit for every company that's creating a job right here in America.

Number two, let's help families right away by providing them a tax cut -- a middle-class tax cut for people making less than $200,000, and let's allow them to access their IRA accounts without penalty if they're experiencing a crisis.” He later added that, (the) “Last point I want to make, though. We've got some long-term challenges in this economy that have to be dealt with. We've got to fix our energy policy that's giving our wealth away. We've got to fix our health care system and we've got to invest in our education system for every young person to be able to learn.

 

2. Present tense (Demonstrative): During the minute 7:50, Obama makes a separation between him and McCain by stating their difference in their intentions on the taxes the people must pay. The division can be seen when he says, “I think tax policy is a major difference between Senator McCain and myself. And we both want to cut taxes, the difference is who we want to cut taxes for.”

 

3. Future tense (deliberative): Obama says that “We need to eliminate a whole host of programs that don't work. And I want to go through the federal budget line by line, page by page, programs that don't work, we should cut. Programs that we need, we should make them work better.” (Min 14)

 

4. Present tense (demontrative): Obama separated himself with McCain again when he says, “Now, what is true is that Senator McCain and I have a difference in terms of the need to invest in America and the American people. I mentioned health care earlier.” (min. 14:50)

 

5. Future tense (Deliberative): “If we make investments now so that people have coverage, that we are preventing diseases, that will save on Medicare and Medicaid in the future.

If we invest in a serious energy policy, that will save in the amount of money we're borrowing from China to send to Saudi Arabia.

If we invest now in our young people and their ability to go to college, that will allow them to drive this economy into the 21st century.” Obama says this during min. 15.

 

6. Past tense (forensic): Obama attacks McCain’s campaign when he states that “100 percent, John, of your ads -- 100 percent of them have been negative.” (min. 27)

 

McCain:

1.   Future tense (deliberative): During minute 7, he counters Obama’s rhetoric with some of his own when stating, “Now Senator Obama talks about the very, very rich. Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and be able -- and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees.”

2.   I believe McCain used the deliberative rhetoric, but put it in words of the past to prove that it was possible. In other words, he stated he could repeat something that had success in the past when he said, “And they went out and bought up these mortgages. And people were able to stay in their homes, and eventually the values of those homes went up, and they actually made money.” (Min. 17)

3.   McCain uses deliberative rhetoric when he confirms that “the point is that we become energy independent and we will create millions of jobs -- millions of jobs in America.” (Min. 17) he later says that (I) “would eliminate the tariff on imported sugarcane-based ethanol from Brazil.”

4.   McCain also attacks Obama indirectly (Demonstrative) when he says that “I oppose subsidies for ethanol because I thought it distorted the market and created inflation; Senator Obama supported those subsidies.”

5.   Present (forensic) McCain also attacks Obama’s campaign when he says that “that's -- that's -- that's an unfortunate part. Now we have the highest spending by Senator Obama's campaign than any time since Watergate.” (min. 27)

I know this isn't part of the forms of rhetoric, but I want to say that I also noticed that the candidates uses many facts and statistics to support their arguments, as well as inspiring pity within us when they talked about the Joe the plumber, etc...