The Rhetorica Network offers analysis and commentary about the rhetoric, propaganda, and spin of journalism and politics, including analysis of presidential speeches and election campaigns. This site features the Rhetorica: Press-Politics Journal web log, comprehensive news media links, a rhetoric textbook, a primer of critical techniques, and information for citizens. The character of Rhetorica represents the purposes and canons of classical rhetoric. --Andrew R. Cline, Ph.D.

Rhetorica: Press-Politics Journal

August 28, 2008

DNC Night #4

Posted by acline | August 28, 2008 | Posted in: Politics |

Vardibidian August 29th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Sorry I missed the live blog. I listened in my car (it turns out NPR is very nearly as bad at covering the convention as everybody else; completely missed the Barney Smith/Smith Barney line that seems like it’s going to be a YouTube moment for the week) and caught the last few minutes at home.

I liked the speech, but I particularly liked the theater of it. It’s a big tent, it is, and he filled it. He positioned himself as the focal point of a generational change, and there’s no way for the Republicans to push him out of the way at put John McCain in that position. It’s also going to be very hard for them to deny that there is that generational change, or that the eighty thousand people represent millions of others who are willing to invest Barack Obama with their hopes.

In other words: the master narrative of generational change was not only claimed but made visually evident (and on text phone too). Now, if only the press can catch up to it…

Thanks,
-V.
P Campbell August 31st, 2008 at 5:33 am

Cover It Live–what a nifty little tool!