Project #1 Final Version

WILL HILLARY BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THE SECOND TIME AROUND?

JOHN ROMANSKY

During the 2008 presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton was the heavy favorite to take the Democratic nomination, until a well know senator named Kennedy endorsed a new comer named Obama. After that Obama never looked back and Hillary was left wondering, what happened?

Hillary's Tour Van.

It has been approximately two months since Hillary Clinton announced on April twelfth, via a short video, that she was running again for the Presidency. (Chozickapril)
With little fan fair, she set off in what she dubbed the scooby doo van,or mystery machine. The goal was to show that she could relate to the average American.  Taking very few questions and giving zero interviews, Hillary finally made a major speech to the faculty and student body of Texas Southern University on June fourth, after receiving the Barbara Jordan leadership Award.

Since announcing her candidacy, Hillary has been the front runner for the Democratic nomination. With only two possible contenders, it is apparent that the path is being cleared for the first female candidate for the presidency. With the nomination so close, what will her strategy be? How will she maintain her base and how will she reach the much needed independent and undecided voters?

Barbara Jordan in her Congressional seat

TSU is a predominately African American College in Southern Texas, where Barbara Jordan received her Bachelor’s degree. She then went on to Boston University law. She became the first woman State Senator in Texas and went on to become the first African-American Congress Woman to come from the deep South. She was a Civil Rights Leader and pioneer in her time. She rose to national prominence when she gave the key note address to the Democratic National Committee in 1976. (Barbara)

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994, just two years before she died.

To capture the audience, you have to play to that audience. No two are alike. In This case, Hillary was presenting primarily to African American voters. The primary thrust of her speech was voter inequality. Though this effects every American, we see the concept of voting completely different.

         

This was to be a symbolic speech for Hillary Clinton. She had just received the first award of its kind, Barbara Jordan was the first female senator from Texas, and Hillary will most likely be the first female candidate for the presidency.

After receiving the award, Hillary takes the stage and begins her narration.

Throughout the speech, Hillary used ethos, pathos and logos to captivate her audience. In this analysis, I will illustrate where I think she best utilized these concepts.

         

         

Shelia Jackson Lee, Dr. Thomas Freedman, Hillary Clinton, Rosemary McGowan

ETHOS

In order for one to command respect, one must earn it. Notwithstanding her own credibility and reputation, she has shown her audience that she has earned the respect and credibility of the leaders of the Black and minority communities.  
Throughout the speech, Hillary identifies with her audience.
 

In her introduction, Hillary starts by thanking the notable hosts and by giving accolade to the civil rights leader Heman Marion Sweatt. Focusing on Shelia Jackson lee, a long time Congresswoman from the 18th District, she congratulates the congresswoman on her entry into the grandmothers club, for which she to belongs.

Hillary then transitions to the flooding in Houston, offering her condolences and words of encouragement. It is here where she is able to interject President Obama when she likened the current situation in Houston, to that of Hurricane Katrina, when she and then Senator Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and other officials traveled to the devastated area.

As First lady, Senator from New York, and Secretary of State, Hillary is well known all over the world. Depending on your political leanings, you either agree or disagree with her. In her introduction, she humanizes herself with her reference to being a member of the grandmothers club. She sets an emotional tone with the audience. An understanding that she can relate to the struggles that most minorities have faced.

Hillary then masterfully weaves her net by reflecting back on her first memories of Barbara Jordan. Fresh out of law school, assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, to investigate Richard Nixon, she was able to work with and more importantly was able to watch and learn from the first congresswoman from Texas.

Hillary remarks how Barbara Jordan continued what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had started and that she was a fierce advocate of the Voting Rights Act, fighting great odds in 1975 to extend protections to all Americans.

Taking time to reflect back on a conversation between the former Governor of Texas Anne Richards and Barbara Jordan, Hillary deflects her voice to a Texas twang, in sighting laughter of the crowd. (See video below)

She develops her credibility referencing her experiences and equating accomplishments to that of Barbara Jordan and even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

 

PATHOS

Hillary makes her point.

During this phase of the speech, Pathos are used to inject and emotional reaction to the audiences fears.

As she transitions, the tone of her voice and her body language change. Anger and outrage are depicted by an increase in her voice and by pointing at the audience. She cites a litany of situations where she feels the voting Rights act has been eviscerated. She sympathizes with the student that has to wait hours to vote, or with the grandmother whom was turned away due to an expired license, and even the father who after serving his time, does not have the right to vote.

She then says “what is happening is a sweeping effort to dis-empower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people from one end of our country to the other”. (Clinton)

Hillary now has made it personal to the audience. Most of the attendees were African American students. Based on statistical data, a majority of the students most likely have a parent or relative whom did lose their voting rights due to a conviction, have elderly grandparents who at one point in their lives could not vote, and whom also may have been turned away because they did not have the proper identification when trying to vote.

She now has an emotional attachment based on fear and anger.

LOGOS

It is now time to appeal to the common sense of the audience. Logos is when you appeal to an audience’s values or beliefs. (Johnson- Sheehan, and Paine)

She accomplishes this objective by asking a series of questions and by making declarative statements.

She questions over pre- registration for minors and the elimination of voter outreach in high schools. “We should be doing everything we can to get our

young people more engaged in democracy, not less”, she declares. (Clinton)

It is only logical to have outreach in schools, though you have to be eighteen to vote.

She cites Texas law that will allow the use of a conceal carry permit as a valid form of identification, then questions why a valid student ID is not good enough?

     

Texas Conceal Carry permit.

TSU student ID.

When you see the two examples, it is quite clear that the conceal carry has much more valid information about the card holder. It is the word (Conceal Carry) that stirs up the negative connotation. Conceal carry relates to handguns, which relate to death in the African American Community.

Two other factors that exist are that most colleges do not allow handguns on campus and the age of most college students preclude them from having a conceal carry permit.

The comparison is validated by the experience of Krystal Watson, A Louisiana native who was attending a neighboring college. Hillary talks passionately, of how Krystal registered to vote in Texas and how she became a deputy voting registrar, only to be turned away at her polling station, because she only had a College ID.

Hillary rationalizes simple concepts, leaving the audience to agree with her point of views.

 WHERE DOES SHE GO FROM HERE?

Now it is time to take the credibility, emotion, and fear, and turn it into a campaign message against the powers that are running against her. She sites four states that are run by Republican Governors and sites each Governor by name and each piece of legislation that they signed.

She continually emphasized her belief in that every citizens has the right to vote and how the process should be made easier. She questions Republican motives and their reasoning for making voting more difficult. (See Excerpt below)

She ends that segment with a patriotic and emotional statement. “Yes, this is about democracy. But it’s also about dignity. About the ability to stand up and say, yes I am a citizen. I am an American. My voice counts. And no matter where you come from of what you look like or how much money you have, that means something. In fact, it means a lot”. (Clinton)

Adding to the positive tone, she goes on to outline her plan to expand voting rights. She systematically lists new ideas and concepts and explains why they make sense and why they should be implemented. She continues, building on the momentum as if she was the conductor of an orchestra

She finishes siting the accomplishments of those who have come before and how it is now our turn, (meaning the audience), “To march just as far. To organize just as well. To speak just as loudly. And to vote, every chance we get for the kind of future we want”. (Clinton)

It is apparent throughout that Hillary spoke to her audience. She utilized logos, ethos, and pathos, to carry the speech, allowing her to take the audience to a place where they felt comfortable, angry, excited, and empowered, all within a thirty five minute speech.

         The Million dollar question still remains:

Will Hillary be able to connect with the American people the second time around?

References:

Barbara Jordan. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 08:55, Jun 14,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/barbara-jordan-9357991

Chozickapril, Amy. "Hillary Clinton Announces 2016 Presidential Bid." 12 April 2015. New York Times.com. Electronic Document. June 2015

Clinton, Hillary. Hillary Clinton Speech Accepting Barbara Hordan Gold Medallion for Leadership. Houston, 14 Jun 2015. Utube.

Johnson-Sheehan, Richard and Charles Paine. WRITING TODAY. New York: Longman, 2013. Text Book.

Katz, Celeste and Adam Edelman. nydailynews.com. 14 April 2015. Internet. 18 June 2015.