Convention Grades

President Obama and Governor Romney used their respective convention speeches to establish their separate visions for the role of president, create or reinforce their personal images, and appeal to both their current supporters and undecided voters.  While they shared many of the same approaches to rhetoric, they also managed to produce a very clear distinction between their political views.  The candidates took slight jabs at one another, yet they remained respectful and dignified in their actions.  In terms of representing themselves to their base audience, I think that both candidates presented their views successfully.  It is my personal opinion that viewers of the two conventions generally have their minds made up as to who they will choose, but President Obama and Governor Romney formed effective arguments for why they deserve the undecided individual’s vote.   President Obama was slightly more effective in his speech simply because of his rhetorical skills, as well as the already-established image of himself that resulted from his first term in office.

President Obama Overall: 8 (out of 10)

Effectiveness to their “base” audience: 9 - As far as appealing to his “base” audience, President Obama managed to say all the right things.  One of the most effective parts of President Obama’s speech came from his acknowledgement of the role of his supporters.  Obama referred back to his first campaign and addressed the audience by saying, “You were the change”.  I think this effectively stirred the emotions of the Democrats in the audience and empowered them to go out and vote on November 6.  There were many instances throughout President Obama’s speech where the energy of the room seemed to spike tremendously.  He articulated his key points in a manner that raised tension and ultimately brought their audience to their feet.  I think the Democrats left the convention feeling proud of the way that President Obama spoke to the nation and hopeful for his reelection.

Effectiveness in appealing to undecided voters: 7 - Obama entered the campaign with the advantage (or possibly disadvantage) of an already developed image of himself due to his first four years in office.  Individuals all over the country recognize President Obama’s name, and they could probably tell you all kinds of rumors about his history.  Even for individuals that do not support Obama’s policies, it’s hard to keep from admiring him as an individual.  His rhetorical skills allow him to develop messages that people want to believe regardless of whether or not they truly believe him.  Obama remained poised and collected while at the podium, and I think this resonated in their minds of undecided voters.  Instead of seeing a man on stage clawing away at the core of his opponent, Obama was respectful in his attacks and continued to set the stage for sharing his vision of the United States.  When President Obama said “you elected me to tell you the truth”, I feel that this quote definitely resonated within the minds of individuals still unsure of their vote.  Instead of focusing strictly on his political mission, President Obama appealed to the human nature of individuals and the values that they have in common.

Governor Romney Overall: 7 (out of 10)

Effectiveness to their “base” audience: 8 – Like President Obama, Governor Romney delivered a quality speech that focused on exactly what his audience wanted to hear.  By referring to American heroes like Neil Armstrong and Steve Jobs, Governor Romney continued to stress his ideas of normality among himself and his principles.  The speech incorporated a long list of facts and figures that the Republican audience can refer to as real and tangible data.  It may be in the best interest of the audience to follow up with fact checkers regarding Governor Romney’s use of logos, but I feel that it effectively appealed to his followers.   During his speech, the presidential candidate also cited specific companies that he helped start.  These companies, such as Staples and Sports Authority, were examples of widely-known businesses that American people recognize.  I think that in terms of persuading Republicans to visit the voting booths in November, Govern Romney provided solid references and points that give Republicans good reason to believe in the candidate as their presidential nominee.

Effectiveness in appealing to undecided voters: 6 – Governor Romney had the task of introducing himself to voters that are unfamiliar with him on the national scene, as well as putting forth explanations of his own policies and procedures.  While he did a decent job of balancing these two goals during his speech, I think this ultimately limited his effectiveness in appealing to undecided voters.  Also, I felt Governor Romney’s reliance on facts and figures didn’t appeal to undecided voters in a persuasive way.  It would take a combination of logos, pathos, and egos to convince voters that he deserves their vote, and Governor Romney didn’t focus enough time or energy on each concept.  If anyone was to make their decision over the specific convention speeches, it would be the individuals that find relevance within Governor Romney’s belief that “We celebrate success; we don’t apologize for success”.  In the end, I felt that Governor Romney didn’t do a whole lot to help himself gain an advantage from new voters, but he didn’t do much to hurt himself in the long run either.