Effects of a rhetorical convention
After four days of intensive rhetorical speeches served tolaunch the Republican Party’s platform, Americans ponder onthe political future of this nation.
Remarkably, this year the Republican convention has focused onpersuading the audience through the use of strong and strategicwords.
Speakers like Sen. John McCain, former New York Mayor RudolphGiuliani and Sen. Zell Miller, have addressed their speechesthrough non-negotiable words of building a safer world by fightingterrorism abroad, claiming a president who can strongly fit in therole of commander in chief and concluding with the idealisticvision of spreading democracy in the rest of the world.
Republicans have made use of Sept. 11 through emphatic words andimages. Just in case Americans would forget, the mention of thetragedy has been instrumental to shape people’s emotions. AndRepublicans have performed very well at using Americans’sentiments to depict themselves as leaders who can raise the moraleof the nation.
Republicans are using their characteristic strength anddecisiveness in war issues as winning factors for the nextelection. In a time when Americans feel insecure about the outcomeof the war in Iraq, when they feel confused and hesitant on thepresumed presence of weapons of mass destruction in the MiddleEast, these leaders come to the stage with that kind of virilestrength that can put a nation on political agreement.
Even Bill Clinton recognized some truth in this behavior twoyears ago by saying, “When people are insecure, they’drather have somebody who’s strong and wrong than somebodywho’s weak and right.”
A strong leadership, as Giuliani said on Monday night, is whatthe nation needs right now. The Republican America needs to takecare of its business offshore before focusing on domestic policy— an attitude that shows the Republicans as brave and alittle illegitimate when speaking to the nation in these terms.
Fortunately enough, George W. Bush saved the Americans from along speech on foreign policy to focus more on business at home.Half of his speech was devoted to domestic policy. Finally, alegitimate move. Even though he made no mention to those 35.9million people who live in poverty and the 45 million with nohealth insurance, Bush assured his people that life at home will beimproved by expanding programs in areas such as education andhealth care.
However, Bush left no indication as how much money will beinvested to finance these proposals. Not only do Republicans seemuncertain on the existence of weapons of mass destruction, but theyalso offer a blurry image on domestic policy. Americans can onlyexpect a budget deficit in the next years.
Overall, the convention has offered a clear image of politicaldisrespect and paradox; from a political figure like Miller who forone night repudiates his Democratic standing to pay tribute to theoutcome of a pre-emptive war against Iraq and consider thisconfrontation a must-do, to the sharp criticism against JohnKerry’s way of doing politics, often categorized as a”flip-flop.”
More than a party’s platform presentation, the event was aunilateral dispute between liberal and conservative ideologies.With their language, Republicans inaugurated a verbal race todemonstrate that this campaign is winnable by the candidate whooffers an unconditional dose of political power and interest.
Obviously, this campaign has far outreached the ideal and nobleconcept of doing politics in a democratic soil where politicalleaders should serve and respond to a nation’s needs.Multilateralism has lost its essence since the announcement of theBush Doctrine when the president declared, “Either you arewith us or you are with the terrorists.”
The consoling part of this confusing and brainwashing conventionis that Americans have still two months to decide who they want toelect: a secretive group of Republicans who lead their publiclylegitimate yet self-interested actions in foreign policy, or theopponent side, who seems willing to achieve more on domestic policybefore declaring an apparently illegitimate war in Iraq.
Ivana Corsale is a senior journalism and internationalstudies double major. She may be contacted [email protected].
