Election years, almost all over the world, bring in spectacular shows or drama that either leaves the voters enthralled or offended. At other levels serious, campaign strategies bring down a whole party or an individual and in the most extreme levels, and civil wars arise. This is true for developed or developing worlds depending on the context of choice and the level of political maturity.
Many a number of candidates have used the elections campaigns seasons to swiftly place themselves at the front, ending up at the highest or desired offices while others have make life time mistakes that extend to kill even their political careers. In America Sara Palin, never made it to her desired position, and eventually fell out with the American voters due to some mistakes out of her own authoring; as well as from her running mate, John McCain.
These situations and events still prevent the former Governor of Alaska the needed grip to turn votes into her basket in this year’s elections. These moves have been repeated by her new rival Michele Bachmann who the writer of this article seeks to make the subject of concern.
The goal of this work is to discredit Michele Bachmann moves in signing a pact which the writer refers to as controversial. It focuses on anti-gay, anti-abortion and anti-pornography issues. The aim of the author is to let the reader identify Michelle Bachmann’s case cannot be expected to go far with such mistakes; and therefore, her rise will only be just another mistake as done in previous examples in the conservative party.
In this article the author attacks the source of the pact to underscore the seriousness of such heavy prices people must pay in political goofs. He has done this using rhetorical techniques of which this paper will analysis their effectiveness upon the intended goal of this article, Michele Bachmann, signs anti-gay pact that says times were better for black kids during slavery.
On the other hand, this article indirectly looks at the question of racism innuendos raised at such seasons. The article largely attacks the main point in a pact from a group known as the Family Leader, which recalls the days of slavery. In this move, the writer points to the audience, as the readers, that politicians like Michele Bachmann are appealing to the voters who are racists.
By juxtaposing Obama’s administration with the slavery period, the reader cannot help to feel that racism is a scorecard. However, probably the most intended audience of this article is the African American person, to vote against such figures with racists’ sentiments. Again, this article may be directed to the normal American citizen who believes in change and uses ideas and development records to score and rate a candidate.
In this article, concerning Michelle Bachmann, the writer has used diction where words like ‘controversial’ and ‘curious’ in the first paragraph as well as ‘strange’ help to allude on the attitude he has on the Pact and its origin. He dismisses the pact extensively using a didactic tone that distances him from Michelle and Bob Vaander Plats.
This is well exemplified by his address to Bob as the man who ran for Governor of Iowa but failed on three attempts to get secure a place in the public offices he vied for. It is worth noting from this perspective that the tongue is in the cheek towards Plaats.
On this same breath, the writer by using counterpoints underscores that Bob’s endorsement by known legendries, like Chuck Norris does not guarantee a bill of passage to the public office. It is ironical through the imagery of thumbs down that Bob thinks highly of himself as kingmaker. Campaign seasons are really of turns and events.
On the next level he uses pathetic appeal concerning the originator of the fact Pact. He casts him as a man who has been on the extreme by issuing outrageous statements and faked analogies of homosexuals and smoking through the technique of narration.
The reader’s feeling of disappointment with Bob is appealed for, and thus convinced that even on this occasion he cannot be left to guide or advice figures we expect to be presidents. In the net effect the reader is invited secretly to judge Michele Bachmann, on her views and relations to such notions! This is an effective technique that the writer has used to show that probably Michele is going nowhere.
He uses the technique of ethos where he appeals to ethics by quoting a respected black political writer, Cherly Contee. In this technique he wishes to introduce the superiority of authority that he is reading from the same page as Contee and thus he places himself high.
On the other hand, he may also appeal to ethics by introducing an authority like Contee in order to score a point that, he is on a middle ground and others including the reader must see these mistakes. If he intends the later, then he is not effective since this may seem ironical from his title and his attack on Bob Plaats. This reinforces the opinion of thesis of this paper concerning racism.
In his appeal for logos to the reader, he states clearly that Michele Bachmann is not a novice to matters relating to racism, anti-gay, anti-abortion or even anti-pornography. Michele’s husband has been an opponent of such views and thus by extension his wife understands the complexity and impact of such. This lets the reader know that it is a clear case of choice and search for new controversy as a move to turn attention.
To make this more effective, he appeals for reasoning and he scores home by mentioning the Utah Governor as one who cannot join the pact of the social conservatives. He thus makes the reader rationalize that if the like of Governor Huntsman and a representative like Ron Paul cannot join such a cause then, Michele is too much flawed. By pitting these public figures against Michele, the reader is appealed to logically, that Huntsman and others are better and enjoy success rates in their work without such vendettas.
The writer has effectively pitched in the camp ‘no’ by letting the audience analyze Michele Bachmann and her group the Family leader. By subtly using description, narration as well as comparison, he brings in the point of racism without offending the African American voters, and thus successfully attacks candidate Bachmann strategies as well as her perceptions of race. This effectively analyzes the options that the voter has when the D-day comes late in the year. This illustrates that Malcolm is an expert political commentary as his records reveal.
The tone of this article assumes an outrage voice that depicts the writer as one who is admonishing candidates like Michele against racism. In addition, the transition of the story through its coherence, and explanations can also be seen to assume a tone humor to political stunts and efforts characterized by the span of election year’s candidates and chief campaigners. In this respect, he is able to convince the audience about his thesis.
I take that Michele needs to rethink her position and stand when dealing with the American voter judging by history. Choosing the road to racism is a ‘sinful’ attempt if I quote her husband, Marcus and she will be judged harshly when racial free, candidates beat her ten to naught (Malcolm, para. 10). The author choice of this method clearly represents that Michele’s star would take the same route that of Sara Palin and with no apologies to make or without being remorseful that she is on the path to failure.
Works Cited
Malcolm, Andrew. Michele Bachmann Signs Anti-gay Pact that Says Times were better for Black Kids during Slavery. Los Angeles Times, 2011. Web.