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Hillary Clinton Rhetorical Analysis

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Political communication is a message designed for a mass audience with the objective of making an audience sympathetic to your position. Most political communication is done through mass media, which presents a unique challenge: making extremely impersonal communication through a screen seem personal. Successful, effective political communication utilizes classic rhetorical techniques in order to identify with the audience at hand and present a position.

However, political communication has experienced a great deal of change within the past ten years. Now, politicians have caught on to using social media in order to connect with younger demographics of voters who are participating in elections and political conversation more than ever. Successfully integrating yourself into pop culture is a political …show more content…

Hillary Clinton has tried her hardest to become an internet sensation among the youth by paying for Buzzfeed articles, making Star Wars references during debates, and doing the “Nae Nae” on live TV. Rather than rallying around her, her target audience has actually ridiculed her for it. In her quest to become a meme, Clinton's campaign neglected the fact that those who are capable of voting are over 18 and would rather hear about her policy than how much she loves Beyonce. She failed at identifying with her audience and showing them that she understands their needs and expectations.

Donald Trump's strategy was the exact opposite, yet somehow succeeded. After announcing his campaign, few took it seriously. It became the source of nearly endless jokes and wisecracks. But, the key was that Trump was not forcing the laughter- he was just providing the material. Even if he was saying outlandish things, a portion of his audience was able to relate to his sentiments- they identified with him. The widespread attention actually helped Trump gain a real following and anchored him as a prominent

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