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Obama Rhetorical Analysis

Decent Essays

The late author and Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce claimed that every presidency can be reduced to a single sentence with an active verb, e.g., “Lincoln freed the slaves,” or “Nixon resigned.” What one active verb will best summarize the Obama Presidency?

President Obama burst onto the national stage with a keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Just four years later, the frequent use of “Hope,” “Change,” and “Yes We Can” became rhetorical trademarks of his successful presidential campaign.

The “bully pulpit” has served as a prominent feature of Obama’s presidency, and five points reveal the significance of rhetoric in assessing his presidential legacy.

Rhetorical Proliferation: A central element of the modern presidency …show more content…

Charles Kesler observed that President Obama embodies the fourth wave of modern liberalism, following Progressive Era liberalism, New Deal liberalism, and Great Society liberalism; and Obama’s rhetoric represents this truth. Consider that he began his presidency by dubbing his agenda the “New Foundation,” a christening of his reforms akin to his liberal predecessors. Furthermore, some of his more memorable rhetorical phrases, such as the desire to “meet history’s test” by “fundamentally transformting the United States of America” reflect the depth of his liberal goals. Far from a timid desire to nudge America to the center left, Obama’s rhetoric reflects a desire for lasting political transformation through liberalism’s …show more content…

Once elected, he declared a new era of “engagement” with the world and delivered his first-ever television interview as president with Al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based network. In his June 2009 speech at Cairo University, he promised a “new beginning” between the United States and the Muslim world. Furthermore, if JFK was the “first television president,” then Obama is the “first Internet president,” using new media to amplify his voice around the globe. Thus, partcipating in a global community and giving more global-related speeches have been an integral part of his governing

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