Super Bowl of Spin Heating Up …
Who Do You Think Will Win?
Dear Web Business-Builder,
The ink was barely dry on transcripts of Obama’s “I have a dream” acceptance speech when McCain stole the spotlight entirely by selecting a gun-toting soccer Mom as his running mate who hales from a state where few people live.
Minority groups across America rejoice. Even rich old white men concede — equal opportunity for all, the glass ceiling is shattered forever!
Let’s take a little informal poll shall we?
Who thinks Barrack Obama is going to wipe the floor with John McCain?
Who thinks McCain will prevail?
Regardless of the outcome (of the election that is), I can guarantee we’re in for the ultimate flying circus of political theater in the weeks ahead. And the decision will have very little to do with the issues.
America will decide who it likes most … and that person will move into the White House.
“An entire party, a platform, an international policy, is sold to the public — or is not sold — on the basis of the intangible element of personality”
– Edward Bernays
The electorate will listen to the speeches and the debates and forget pretty much everything that was said. But they will remember how they felt about the candidates while watching and listening, and vote accordingly.
Elections are, by and large, popularity contests dressed up as debates.
The spoils of victory go to the contestant who makes the strongest, most profound human connection with the electorate. For McCain or Obama to sell their political agenda, they must first sell themselves.
For this reason, political spin doctors pour huge efforts into creating the most carefully crafted core stories and staged dramas for their candidates, intentionally engineered to endear them to the public — sometimes with comic consequences.
The same is true in any theater of persuasion. To sell anything, you must first sell the messenger.
So let’s peel back the onion on the rhetoric and see what we can learn.
Obama has been accused of fashioning himself as a celebrity. This is testament to his formidable skills as a persuader. He has forged a highly appealing persona in the public mind. Voters feel that he is in touch with them and their personal concerns.
Watch how Obama connects with the 84,000 raving fans who attended his acceptance speech which took place symbolically on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” address.
OBAMA: Thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you, everybody.
To – to Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin, and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation, with profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me – let me express – let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest, a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
To President Clinton, to President Bill Clinton, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it …
(APPLAUSE)
… To Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service …
(APPLAUSE)
… And to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama …
(APPLAUSE)
… And to Malia and Sasha, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you.
(APPLAUSE)
Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that’s always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That’s why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors – found the courage to keep it alive.
What has he done in this opening? He is re-introducing his persona, demonstrating what he stands for, and invoking the symbolism of his core story — that of a little guy who started with nothing … and by the grace of the American promise (and government funded assistance) was able to make good.
Obama’s speech is peppered with little anecdotes from his core story that identify him with the suffering of the audience … how his mother had to turn to food stamps to raise him … how his grandmother was passed over for promotion because she was a woman … how his mother lay in bed arguing with insurance companies while dying of cancer.
He is making a show of his character. And it is a character that people identify with. He is also anchoring the fundamental theme of his platform as he has done so many times before — that it is the government’s responsibility to look after the people.
In this short opening, this master orator has positioned himself as an underdog, a friend, husband and father. He appears genuinely humble and grateful to have an opportunity to serve his followers. And as you can see, they love him for it.
Obama then takes this identification and uses it to position himself as a symbolic paternal figure ready to take the American people on his lap and restore the rights and entitlements that have been put in jeopardy over the last eight years of Republican rule.
His maudlin rhetoric, filled with cleverly executed word pictures, is designed to regress the crowd into a childlike state of dependence and absolve them of any responsibility for their predicament. It’s not your fault he implies. They (the Republicans) are to blame.
“Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can’t afford to pay, and tuition that’s beyond your reach.’
“This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.
“We’re a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment that he’s worked on for 20 years and watch as it’s shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.
“We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty … ”
Obama is a formidable persuader and well worth studying. I think he can win the election, but McCain is no push over.
He’s got a great core story too. One that he’s been building for decades …
McCain is a war hero — a trained navy pilot shot down on his 23rd mission over Vietnam. He was injured badly and spent five and a half years in a Hanoi concentration camp where he was repeatedly tortured and locked in solitary confinement. His personal story is compelling and undeniably heroic.
Politically, he’s something of a maverick. Even some Democrats love the guy despite his having a voting record well to the right of George W. Bush. Why? McCain has a reputation for not being afraid to criticize Republican policy and break from the party line.
His independent streak also makes him very popular with the mainstream media.
With clever stunts like naming his campaign tour bus “The Straight Shooter Express” and getting the press to refer to it repeatedly by that name, he has been able to create and anchor his image as a man of integrity … a straight shooter … and a courageous war hero who says what he means and means what he says.
Look at how McCain endears himself to the audience in this opening to this recent speech delivered in New Orleans.
JOHN MCCAIN: Good evening from the great city of New Orleans. Tonight, we can say with confidence the primary season is over, and the general election campaign has begun.
I commend both Senators Obama and Clinton for the long, hard race they have run. Senator Obama has impressed many Americans with his eloquence and his spirited campaign. Senator Clinton has earned great respect for her tenacity and courage.
The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans, and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes received. As the father of three daughters, I owe her a debt for inspiring millions of women to believe there is no opportunity in this great country beyond their reach. I am proud to call her my friend.
Pundits and party elders have declared that Senator Obama will be my opponent. He will be a formidable one. But I’m ready for the challenge and determined to run this race in a way that does credit to our campaign and to the proud, decent and patriotic people I ask to lead.
McCain begins by taking the high road, saying good things about his opponent, positioning himself as a person of honest integrity. Then without trying to defend the Republican record, he goes on to admit that change is needed.
The Obama camp is desperate to frame McCain as a Bush clone to take advantage of the current President’s exceedingly low public opinion polls.
Republicans were critical of the speech, but I think McCain diffused Obama’s attack brilliantly by admitting big changes are needed. I thought he repeatedly blew Obama’s flawed logic to pieces, each time anchoring the hit with Obama’s own tag line “change we can believe in.”
McCain would make his point, and then with that weird little smirk of his add, “That’s not change we can believe in.”
It thought it was hilarious. Check out how he rips into Obama:
“I have a few years on my opponent, so I am surprised that a young man has bought into so many failed ideas. Like others before him, he seems to think government is the answer to every problem; that government should take our resources and make our decisions for us.
“That type of change doesn’t trust Americans to know what is right or what is in their own best interests. It’s the attitude of politicians who are sure of themselves but have little faith in the wisdom, decency and common sense of free people. That attitude created the unresponsive bureaucracies of big government in the first place. And that’s not change we can believe in.
“You will hear from my opponent’s campaign in every speech, every interview, every press release that I’m running for President Bush’s third term. You will hear every policy of the President described as the Bush-McCain policy.
“Why does Senator Obama believe it’s so important to repeat that idea over and over again? Because he knows it’s very difficult to get Americans to believe something they know is false. So he tries to drum it into your minds by constantly repeating it rather than debate honestly the very different directions he and I would take the country.
“But the American people didn’t get to know me yesterday, as they are just getting to know Senator Obama. They know I have a long record of bipartisan problem solving. They’ve seen me put our country before any President — before any party — before any special interest — before my own interest. They might think me an imperfect servant of our country, which I surely am. But I am her servant first, last and always.”
Pretty kick-ass copy, don’t you agree?
McCain goes on to provide apparent facts and details that prove his independence from Bush. And then comes back to attack the obvious central flaw in Obama’s campaign.
PORK AS FAR THE EYE CAN SEE!
JOHN MCCAIN: I take America’s economic security as seriously as I do her physical security. For eight years, the federal government has been on a spending spree that added trillions to the national debt. It spends more and more of your money on programs that have failed again and again to keep up with the changes confronting American families.
Extravagant spending on things that are not the business of government indebts us to other nations, fuels inflation, raises interest rates, and encourages irresponsibility.
I have opposed wasteful spending by both parties and the Bush administration. Senator Obama has supported it and proposed more of his own. I want to freeze discretionary spending until we have completed top to bottom reviews of all federal programs to weed out failing ones. Senator Obama opposes that reform.
I opposed subsidies that favor big business over small farmers and tariffs on imported products that have greatly increased the cost of food. Senator Obama supports these billions of dollars in corporate subsidies and the tariffs that have led to rising grocery bills for American families. That’s not change we can believe in.
Both of these candidates do a brilliant job of communicating their personality through their rhetoric, Obama, wrapping himself in the flag and the American dream of equal opportunity for all … and McCain with his homespun common sense, “do what’s right, regardless” attitude.
The key thing we should all take away from this is the incredible importance of creating personality in marketing and copywriting. All of us should be encouraging our clients to reveal more of themselves … more of their personality … more of their ideals, principles and beliefs … of their commitment to serve.
All of us should be developing core stories that tell people who we are … why we are here doing what we’re doing … and countering potential objections our customers are thinking.
Given the choice, your customers and prospects will always buy first from someone they believe in … often sacrificing and discounting advantages promised by advertisers with a less human face.
Regardless of your political views, spinmeisters like McCain and Obama can teach you a whole lot about the art and science of creating a persona that sells.
So are you ready to cast your vote? Who do you like best? Sound off in the comment box below.
Until next time, Good Selling!
Daniel Levis
Editor, The Web Marketing Advisor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant and direct response copywriter based in Toronto, Canada and publisher of the world famous copywriting anthology, Masters of Copywriting, featuring the selling wisdom of 44 of the “Top Money” marketing minds of all time, including Clayton Makepeace, Dan Kennedy, Joe Sugarman, John Carlton, Joe Vitale, Michel Fortin, Richard Armstrong and dozens more! For a FREE excerpt visit http://www.SellingtoHumanNature.com
He is also one of the leading Web conversion experts operating online today, and originator of the 5R System (TM), a strategic process for engineering enhanced Internet profits. For a free overview of Daniel’s system, click here.
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26 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Joachim Klehe — September 3, 2008 @ 10:05 am
McCain & Palin will clean Obama & Biden’s clock. The vicious and disgusting attacks by the ‘0′ campaign against Palin and her family and especially the oldest daughter will drive more and more people into voting for McCain and Palin. The frothing at the mouth dems and their media water carriers underestimate the loathing their attempted smears against a hard working and accomplished woman will ultimately generate against them.
This is the most interesting and exciting political campaign I can recall in my lifetime. The dems wanted a culture war and they’re getting one which is ending up energizing the conservative base not unlike the Reagan revolution. The closest parallels I can make with Palin and her effect on the party are both Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt. My goodness what a breath of political fresh air she is!
Comment by John Scola — September 3, 2008 @ 11:12 am
But is Gov. Palin tough enough to hunt with VP Cheney?
Comment by Victoria Ipri — September 3, 2008 @ 11:12 am
Awesome post once again, Daniel! Honestly, I’m still not sure which side my bread is buttered on and I don’t want to get into a political debate here. But this is a tough one. I got chills once again reading both candidate’s words, and I think that’s part of your point. Goosebumps comes from being inspired right down to your ‘innards’. This is stunning copy that hits its intended mark. Copywriters and Internet marketers have an unusual opportunity to watch and learn…and profit…from applying some of the killer copywriting techniques unfolding right before our eyes during this campaign. No matter how large the Internet grows, people still need people, and the ability to touch customers with your core story will never go out of style. At http://www.OneStopSEOShop.com, it’s a principle we firmly believe in and practice every day.
Comment by David Foley — September 3, 2008 @ 11:19 am
Daniel,
And in Canada, we get to witness not one but two campaigns … with the expected announcement of a federal election here!
The next 60 days or so promise to be fun!
David Foley
Comment by Gerard LeBlond — September 3, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Gary Halbert knew how to market, and he was approached many times to lend his expertise to market and position politicians… but he refused every time. (He didn’t want to do it.) Joe Sugarman, on the other hand, actually helped a bunch of Chicago politicians win election. Hooray for direct marketing! It works in the right hands. But… Unfortunately, and Joe admits this freely, more than 50% of the Chicago politicians he helped put in office went to jail. (No wonder Halbert didn’t want to get messed up with this type of clientele!). If you decide to run for politics and win you’ve got to hire direct marketing experts who are in the mold of Eugene Schwartz, Jay Abraham, Gary Halbert, Joe Sugarman and Dan S. Kennedy. With the techniques of persuasion that those experts have, any one, even the guy next door, or even you dear reader, could be re-packaged and sold to the public and WIN!!!… but, first you’ve got to convince the qualified and capable marketers to get on your team and then… you’ve got to be willing to be repackaged. Interested? Oh, and don’t forget to do a lot of tests. I suggest you do the testing in the little "Poo-donk" markets before going national. Who knows, maybe you have a chance to claim the White House as your new home… but, are you willing to pay the price? Aaaah that’s the question…
Comment by Gary Gile — September 3, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
Daniel, I thoroughly enjoyed your article, even though its truth is frightening. I hope neither candidate wins. Despite how well each candidate positions himself/herself in what they say and how they say it, it is a sad commentary on the American way of thinking. Yes, I can use B. Obama’s words and say “it is not our fault” that we have let the media manipulate us the past 50+ years. However, it doesn’t matter how well the media has taken control of our thinking or lack thereof (sort of like George Orwell’s 1984), we are still responsible for where we are in life. We shouldn’t blame the government or our boss or our circumstances. We need to look in the mirror to see who is responsible for us and then take immediate positive action to do something about it, if we don’t like the person looking back at us. The key point about your article is that we need to build a relationship with our clients if we want them to buy from us. We need them to buy us before they will buy from us. Each of the major candidates is doing just that in their speeches. So you are right, people will not vote based on what a candidate can actually do to make our country a better and safer place to live. We will vote based on how well we can relate to the persons running.
Comment by Larry Owen — September 3, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
Kudos for Comment #1 from J. Klehe. The dems are so frantic now, they are starting to wound each other with reckless crossfire. Exciting to watch!
Comment by gemma — September 3, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Since I don’t make over $5 millionand I don’t have 7 houses, it’s difficult for me to identify with McCain. The results of the election will be determined by how gullible the majority of Americans are. Judging on the last 8 years, they are VERY gullible!!!!
- Gemma
Comment by James... — September 3, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Daniel,
Outstanding post, Outstanding object lesson. This was a very educational and enlightening post and I mean that from "The Persona that sells". One thing I have learned about politics and that is… It’s not so much what a person says, it what they do! McCain record of voting with Bush proves without any doubt what he believes. Palin owes a debt of gratitude to the Democratic party if it was not for the Democratic Party and Hillary She would have never ever received any consideration for VP. Shattering the Glass Ceiling is the work of the Democrats… not from conservatives like Mc Cain and the Republican Party. Republicans are not initiators… only opportunist!
Comment by Gary Long — September 3, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
Governor Palin is a horrible example for our children and John McCain should have had better sense than to pick her in the first place.
McCain should drop her from the ticket immediately and apologize to the American People. His response should show what type of leader he really is.
I’ve got a teenage daughter and my wife and I have taught her our values that we don’t believe in premarital sex. Now we have someone running for Vice-President that by her own example is telling our kids that premarital sex is okay.
This leads to some other very important questions regarding Governor Palin. At what age did her 17 year old daughter become sexually active? Has this been going on for some years? Was the Governor not aware what was going on in her own home or did she condone it? Is her daughter also doing drugs? Was the Governor too busy running for office and furthering her own political career to spend any time with her kids? What kind of mother is she?
I can tell you this; she has just made it harder on me and all of the rest of the parents in this country to convice our kids that premarital sex is wrong.
Then we have to wonder what type of real leader would fire her Public Safety Commissioner because he would not fire the divorced husband of her own sister? That just sounds ridicilous! Unfortunately its true.
It is funny to see how the Republicans are trying to frame Gov. Palin’s problem with her pregnant 17 year old daughter as a positive. Like she’s got the same problems as the rest of us.
We’ll I don’t have that problem in my household and I hope I never do. But thanks to John McCain’s first leadership decision of selecting Sarah Palin; many more Americans may have that problem in the future.
So, who do you think I’m going to vote for now?
Comment by David — September 3, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
McCain came home from Vietnam to a hero’s welcome - and has spent the last 40 years keeping the applause going and branding himself as a hero. He has made a career out of "I’m A Hero" and has used it for EVERYTHING - from Senate elections to taking the moral high ground among his peers.
How much is believable when he says: "When pressed for names of his officers, he gave them the starting line of the Green Bay Packers." While campaigning in Pittsburgh, it was the starting line of the Steelers.
But if anyone ever doubted that McCain would sell out the people for his own political or personal gain, his VP pick puts that argument to rest. Anyone running for President owes the people ONE thing when selecting a VP - that person MUST be qualified to be President. Forget the vetting that wasn’t done - Palin’s qualifications can’t pass the "giggle test."
McCain is the most hypocritical and sanctimonious human being I’ve ever seen. When an opponent changes their position - they are a Flip Flopper - when McCain changes his - he’s a Maverick. Not long ago, McCain was against offshore drilling until Big Oil gave him one $million. Then he became a Maverick and is all for it. You don’t have to dig far to discover that McCain is just another K-Street talking parrot. He and his buddy Phil Gramm who lobbies for investment banks were instrumental in getting them a loophole to bypass the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Now, Smith Barney and all the investment banks have carte blank on the oil markets by buying on the London and Dubai exchanges - WITHOUT DISCLOSURE! They can take unlimited positions on oil futures and have been manipulating the markets and "tanking the economy" ever since.
But to the dumb ass voters, it’s all about perception.
Comment by Dave C — September 3, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Gary Long wrote:
"Now we have someone running for Vice-President that by her own example is telling our kids that premarital sex is okay."
I suppose you’d prefer she paint a scarlet letter on her teenager for all to see? Or stash her in a nunnery for nine months? Perhaps in a stocks so passersby can chuck rocks and bottles at her?
Your blinders are too tight Gary – lighten up. Teenagers have sex… even if it’s only with themselves. It’s human nature. The kid made a mistake. Forgive her and move on.
Comment by Glen Kohlenberg — September 3, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
The election for me is not exciting. I remember reading that 1% of our population control 90% of the wealth in this country. So let’s face it, it’s all about the money.
So which party has the most wealth? Bingo! So stop jumping up and down and just write a check so we get on with fixing the economy and banking and ……
Comment by Dave — September 3, 2008 @ 10:29 pm
I think Obama will win this election. He is an outstanding persuader and a great liar. Despite his connection with terrorists, mob bosses and America haters, people still want to believe in him. It seems people are hypnotized by his empty words.
I’m just hoping for the best for America…
Comment by Stephen Chua — September 3, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
Whao! It’s gone a free for all political rant. For a moment (30 minutes actually) I thought I had inadvertantly wandered into a different site.
I thought this was really about the development of a person as a marketer? Or maybe the responses actually did demonstrate what underlying emotions those personnas evoke in this deeply important looming event.
Strongly emotional responses are then understandable and expected when everything about this election will affect every American household and indeed probably every person on the planet.
About those emotions - it’s so basic to our human make up and these masters of creating those 2 opposing personnas (I hesitate to say ‘manipulation’) actually use the same basic premise of the humanness of each candidate.
Daniel paints the classic marketing / promotional srcipt of " It’s not your fault; my family and yours have suffered this affliction and I understand well your pain; I have lived and found the answer; come with me and let me help you. Buy, buy, buy!"
I wonder what their metrics will be?
Point well taken and perhaps an ultimate marketing event?
Comment by Wayne — September 4, 2008 @ 12:49 am
Gary Long wrote …"So, who do you think I’m going to vote for now?"
Gary … with all due respect … vote for whoever you like but PLEASE leave Governor Palin’s family, in particular, her children OUT OF THE DISCUSSION.
This applies to ALL politicians and their families and I repeat, in particular, their children!!!
Comment by J Clarke — September 4, 2008 @ 3:23 am
Hey Daniel, Great article…As Always. Comment #10 – Wake up Gary…You’re Not in Kansas Anymore For those who say that Palin is not qualified – you should check for yourself and stop listening to reporters. She is more qualified than Obama, who’s qualifications amount to about 2 years in the Senate and 2 years of collecting a Senator’s pay while running for President. Most of you are proving Daniel’s point. No one is really looking at the issues. You’re listening to a biased news media read expert copywriting, and listening to the candidates read expert copywriting. I for one would like to hear ‘ANY’ of the candidates say what
exactly they are going to change. All I hear is change, change,
change. What are you going to change? Remember, Change for the sake of change is not always a good thing. I personally feel it is heartbreaking to see the United States is such a sad state of affairs, when these are the Best candidates we have to vote for. None of them should be in the White House. Nor should Clinton and no more of the Bush clan.
God Help Us All #12 Dave C - Amen
Comment by Jeremy Reeves — September 4, 2008 @ 8:30 am
For comment #8 - it’s obvious you’ve seen that commercial that they’re showing know about Mccain, eh?
For comment #14 - how do you PERSONALLY know that he has connections to those people? Every single commercial on the air has a twist to it that makes things seem worse than they are. This is politics, they LIE to make people believe certain things! Just because his grandparents or whatever are from the middle east doesn’t mean he has connections with terrorists lol.
In my opinion, both candidates should not be running for president. Like Clayton said, they’re both looking to run plans that are proven failures!
Oh well, I guess I’ll have to pick the lesser of the 2 evils…
Jeremy Reeves
http://www.GetClientsIn20.com
Comment by Shane — September 4, 2008 @ 11:22 am
Thanks D,
Great post. Point taken and noted.
Hopefully, we elect the right Team for the job..This will definitely be a battle for the writers. I do however look forward to the day when candidates can write their own words down. I think that would reveal the most personality. You think the stumbles are bad when they try to improvise now, ….
My choice for Team USA, will be whoever can sell me on their ideas of integrity, honesty and loyalty to the USA and the Americans that support them…We shall see…
SS
Comment by G. — September 5, 2008 @ 12:55 am
Everybody should check out this movie … http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com
Comment by Georjina — September 5, 2008 @ 1:27 am
Great post on creating a persona that your customers will resonate with, build trust and buy from… As for the election? One dog catcher is about as good as another - in the whole scheme of things, we’re all just hoping to wake up the morning after and still have a life.
Comment by Dave — September 5, 2008 @ 8:10 am
Response to Jeremy (#18):
I will just mention 4 persons:
William Ayers; Rashid Khalidi
Tony Resko
Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Actually, you can also question his loyalty. Before running for presidency, he was all praises for these friends of his. But nowadays, he rebukes them for their "wrong beliefs".
He also "flip-flops". For example, during the primaries, he is in favor of public financing for his campaign, but when his supporters snowballed, and discovered he can get considerably more from private funding, he decided that "the public funding system is broken".
As I mentioned, I think Obama will win, because he is more likeable and a better salesman. People usually buy from people they like…
Fyi, I’m just a casual observer. I’m sorry if I’m mentioning things you do not like, and I know it’s none of my business to meddle with your politics since I’m not even an American citizen.
It’s just that I’m an admirer of your great nation and it’s just quite sad that it’s already on the decline. I just hope that it gets back on its feet soon for the good of its people and the peoples of other nations.
God bless America!
Comment by Jean — September 6, 2008 @ 11:10 am
Those who speak of a woman’s right to choose to abort their unborn child, would deny Sarah Palin the right to give birth to her child, as she chose to do.
Comment by K Myers — September 7, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
Awesome job, Daniel! I’ve been searching (and searching) for articles that analyse both speaches from the writing p.o.v. but keep bumping into propaganda and hate articles on both sides of the election fence instead.
This is the first article I’ve found online that actually takes apart some of the important bits to effectively explain how "framing" is used to deliver the subliminal messages buried within both speaches to "sell" the candidate (client) as well as the platform (product). Very refreshing!
As a writer that works in a niche where "connecting" with prospects is equally (often moreso) critical for my clients’ success as the USP of their products/services, this is a skill I’ve been studying hard to improve upon. Your article added some valuable insights. Thank you.
Comment by K Myers — September 7, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
PS: speaches was a deliberate mispell combining speakers and speeches and to emphasize what a "peach" this election is turning into from a "spin" pov
Comment by Elizabeth — September 9, 2008 @ 7:28 am
No one is better at street marketing than Republicans. No matter what they have to sell, their specialty is to frame the alternative as so undesirable, their offering is positioned as the only option.
That’s not just smart strategy - it’s the only strategy when your policy positions are at odds with the majority of the buying public.
Their continued dominance and hinges on convincing the slimmest margin of the electorate - the "undecided" voter (i.e., the uninformed) that they best represent their interests. Fortunately, it’s remarkably easy to convince rural working class voters that their interests are best served by big moneyed corporate interests. With billions at stake, Republicans have the stomach to do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s ridiculing the service of a war hero, invoking the scare of gay marriage, or fanning Internet hysteria about "secret Muslim" agendas. No one fails who banks on public gullibility and ennui. GOP dominance will continue.