On October 5th, Obama gave a weekly address concerning the government shutdown. Since the government shutdown started on October first, this timing of this speech is appropriate. I should also note that being the president is enough ethos for any speech or event in the government. In this speech he urged congressmen to come together and reach an agreement. By doing so, Obama is fulfilling his civic duty as president to work out issues between the two parties. Obama started by reading two letters out of the thousands he received regarding the government shutdown. He does this for two reasons. First, by reading the letters of average Americans, he wants to show the American people that he is listening to their troubles and that he can connect with them. Second, he appeals to pathos since the letters highlight the struggles of numerous Americans affected by the government shutdown. The excerpt of the letter from Kelly Mumper read
“Our Head Start agency…was forced to stop providing services on October 1st for over 770 children, and 175 staff were furloughed. I am extremely concerned for the welfare of these children. There are parents who work and who attend school. Where are they leaving their children…is it a safe environment…are [they] getting the food that they receive at their Head Start program?”
This letter showcases the emotional and financial distress many Americans are feeling due to the shutdown. Again, Obama does this to call upon the emotional side of the senators and house members to work together and end the shutdown. Obama read a second letter from Julia Pruden which stated,
“We put in an offer to purchase a home this weekend, and it was accepted…if funding does not go through, our chances of the American Dream [are] down the drain…We have worked really hard to get our credit to be acceptable to purchase a home…if it weren’t for the direct lending program provided by the USDA, we would not qualify to buy the home we found.”
This excerpt used key phrases such as “…our chances of the American Dream [are] down the drain…”
Obama acknowledges his civic duty later in his speech. He said,”These are our fellow Americans. These are the people who sent us here to serve.” Obama recognizes that the only reason why he is the president is because people voted for him. He also says this to remind the congressmen of their civic duty and who they are supposed to represent. Obama then uses reasoning to persuade the congressmen to end the shutdown (although this might not have worked since congressmen aren’t known to be rational).
“…there’s only one way out of this reckless and damaging shutdown: pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached. The Senate has already done this. And there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives willing to do the same, and end this shutdown immediately. But the far right of the Republican Party won’t let Speaker John Boehner give that bill a yes-or-no vote.”
Obama proposes a straightforward plan which is to “pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached.” He then makes a comparison which would resonate with many of the people furloughed by the shutdown. He said “The American people don’t get to demand ransom in exchange for doing their job. Neither does Congress….That’s not how our democracy is supposed to work.”
Obama does a good job fulfilling his civic duty as well as reminding the congressmen of their duty. In his speech he utilizes the three modes of persuasion as well as kairos to deliver an effective speech.
Edit: I wrote this on 10/16 so by the time you read this, the government would have reopened.
Sources:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/10/04/weekly-address-end-government-shutdown
http://wics.com/news/features/shutdown/images/shutdown_stopimg.jpg
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1365230/thumbs/o-OBAMA-GOVERNMENT-SHUTDOWN-facebook.jpg
Tags: government shutdown, li, obama, pisanibabich, RCL, week 7
I, as well as the sizable proportion of Americans, have always found it appealing when the President, or any politician for that matter, relates to the general population of the United States and President Obama has done no differently as rhetorician. It is extremely effective to incorporate letters composed by everyday Americans into a speech, specifically an address in which he challenged and called Congress to action. He also evoked great emotion in his political audience by reminding them why they are Congressmen (to promote change and make a difference) and whom selected them to their roles in Congress. Thus, his assertion also gives him credibility from United State’s citizens because they know the President champions them as Americans and seeks that Congressmen do their job for everyday Americans, whatever ideologies, policies, etc. that they support. Great post and very interesting!
From what you have described, Obama effectively relates to the American public in this speech. I personally believe this extremely important. In a time of doubt and restlessness, Obama assures the American people that he is on their side and is rapidly working to solve the problem. His use of pathos not only rallies support from the American people, but also forces the stubborn Congressman who are the cause of the shutdown to think about the consequences of their actions. His firm call to Congressman to solve the problem also it effective in rallying American support. Great blog! Obama always is a great rhetorician!
Nothing gets more interesting than the government used in politics. It is so pivotal that every single sentence is carefully crafted. Obama is no exception in this speech. The use of two letters was brilliant. It gives the allusion that Obama has been hand opening and reading through the concerns of the people, even though there is no way that is true. Nevertheless, its a great imagined picture in the moment. Also, he chose letters that specifically highlight programs which he supports and is fighting for. Overall, we now know that the Republican Congressmen that he criticized and put on the spot have caved and the bill he wanted was passed. Whether or not this was because of the speech, we will never know. If only we knew the clogged minds of our congressmen….