I think our current President is a very gifted speaker because he has acquired a few very positive characteristics. I think he knew that for him to become president he would absolutely have to be able to convince the country that he was above and beyond what we could ever expect. He developed a strong credibility, attractiveness and a sense of power that ultimately lead him to win the election.
It was apparent that McCain wanted to show that Obama was not credible so that was something he really had to prove to the country. Obama had to build his ethos in that area because that was the one that was being questioned the most. It didn't take long for Obama to gain credibility. He proved himslef to be both trustworthy and believable, two components of a credible person. Besides that, he already had a certain appeal because of his message of change. His attractiveness showed immensely in his campaign for changed. "Identification occurs when the source possesses attractiveness; that is, when he or sheoffers audience members an emotionally rewarding relationship" (261). Obama was capable of tugging on the heart strings of most Americans and I think that really helped him win the vote.
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I think it is really interesting how you said that President Obama has a quality of credibility and that that is what makes him a good speaker. I agree, but it’s fascinating because it was his lack of credibility as a President that the opponents criticized. He does not have much experience, he is relatively young, and he has never fought for his country in a war. All this being said, both you and I (and I am sure some of our classmates) have said that we think he is a credible rhetorician. I believe that this is because he is such a good speaker, that we have a PERCEIVED idea of credibility of him. Maybe sometimes that’s just as good… :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you described Obama willing to prove to the nation that he has to be better than McCain and other people that may oppose him, but I think that the attractiveness he brings to the table it what drew us towards him as a speaker. He spoke great words in all his speeches especially about change that you mentioned, with knowing what appeals to the people can really grab their attention like Obama did. I agree with you that he gained his credibility and in a very strong way. Throughout his campaign he did indeed show what he was really made of and that included those three characteristics, credibility, attractiveness, and power, which ultimately he gained as being the President.
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