I was a communication studies major in college and I absolutely love political rhetoric. This week has been a ton of fun for me.
Obviously, the biggest rhetorical event is John McCain's 'campaign suspension'. I know that I am going to be blasted for saying this, but from the standpoint of the rhetoric, it was one hell of a move. The attempt here is to paint McCain as the leader of the charge. This is also designed to make Barack Obama look like he has no origninal ideas and has to follow the lead of the grown-ups in Congress. If Obama doesn't suspend his campaign, then he is putting himself ahead of the country. (Please understand that I in no way believe this, this is about the spin.)
If I were still coaching debate, my advice would be to point out that John McCain ran to Washington at the beck and call of the Bush White House. (I wasn't a terribly good debate coach, however, which is why I am not doing that job anymore, so take what I say with a grain of salt.) Obama should also point out that thanks to John McCain's brilliant invention, the Blackberry, he is in constant contact with the White House, House of Representatives, and the Senate. His ability to jump on a plane and get to Washington in time for a vote means that he isn't shirking the responsiblities the voters of Illinois entrusted him with.
The other major rhetoric to come out was Sarah Palin's photo tour of the U.N. This one got a little out of hand for the McCain campaign. This one managed to royally piss off the MSM. I think that ultimately this just draws attention to her thrilling resume. The elimination of the press also drew attention to the gilded cage that the campaign has put around her. I would call that particular series of photo-ops a win for the good guys.
SNL once again stepped into the political fray, poking fun at the McCain/Palin ticket. I appreciate this. No one should underestimate the power of this show. If you don't believe in the power of Saturday Night Live, just look at the change to the tone of the primaries when SNL got involved. You can also look back to George HW Bush's administration, and see the punchline SNL turned Dan Quayle into, it made him into one of the biggest jokes we have ever seen. So, keep up the good work, Saturday Night Live!
Those are the big rhetorical stories that caught my mind this week, other than the last game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees, of course, were eliminated from the playoff race, so it's been a good week, in my opinion.