Associated Press
Republican candidate Mitt Romney promises economic change in Scottsdale, Ariz. The efficacy of political speech is debatable in the age of televised and accessible politics.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney promises economic change in Scottsdale, Ariz. The efficacy of political speech is debatable in the age of televised and accessible politics. (Associated Press)
Since the first televised presidential debate in 1960 with John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, there has been a national focus on word choice and delivery in presidential speeches. Consequently, it has been said that “the power of the presidency is the power to you.”
And that can be dangerous.
From Rick Perry’s “oops” to Newt Gingrich’s ostentatious remarks toward John King’s opening question at the Jan. 18 CNN Debate, America has seen the effect of dramatic responses.
Dr. Matthew Wilson, professor of political science, explained this outcome.
“Style and theatrics can move numbers in the short term but it’s remarkable how by the end of the day, by the end of the election, things seem to revert pretty close to what the fundamentals of substance would leagues.”
And Romney is currently playing in the big leagues, although unofficially. He is looking and sounding more presidential.
National polls have not only restricted focus on Romney and Obama but they are beginning to show Romney’s surge to meet the president’s.
And it is at this point of the campaign when the he-said, she-said rhetoric begins.
Hillary Rosen, the Democratic strategist who said Mitt Romney’s wife had “never actually worked a day in her life,” came under fire for her remarks as they made Ann Romney appear to have an easy life staying at home.
Whether or not Rosen was right in her statement is beside the point.
What matters is that the Romney campaign was able to use that rhetoric to get more attention.
Obama has also made remarks and they tend to ambiguously refer to the other candidate.
Recently, he said in a speech that he “was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” and many people took that as a dig on Mitt Romney, whose father was wealthy.
And as expected, Romney took this remark under his wing to once again win favor among more voters.
Commenting on whether Obama will limit his jabs, Huseman said, “I would imagine that Obama will continue to make off-hand comments until Romney is the official nominee, but in the meantime I think he’s making a mistake in mentioning him at