Obama's North Dakota Speech

Lately we have been hearing a lot more about politics due to the upcoming election. While each candidate is talking about their plans and making promises for their presidency, most people are not thinking about the reasons behind those promises. Barack Obama gave a campaign speech on April 4, 2008 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in which he promises change and a better tomorrow.  While Obama promises hope for a brighter future, he may just be telling the American people what they want to hear. He uses strong support to convince his audience about what he is saying.

Obama talks about George W. Bush and the current state of our nation in the beginning of his speech. He talks about the way most American citizens today no longer support Bush and his way of the running the nation.  George Bush has ruined our nation, and Obama says he is going to fix all that. This tactic is a very effective way of getting people to support him. He talks about a metaphorical enemy, Bush, and tells them he is going to save them from Bush and make everything better.  And it’s not just Bush that he blames for the state of the United States being as bad as it is.

Obama also addresses issues like global warming. He promises to lead our nation to a better future through practices that will improve our current climate conditions and current state of the union. To strengthen his argument, he says we will do great things, like ending the war in Iraq and improving education. These statements all help convince his audience to vote for him, but he is not being completely realistic with some of the things he promises. Obama does not know if he can really fix things like global warming.

As many have done in the past, Obama tells his audience why John McCain, his opponent, shouldn’t be voted for. He uses what he said earlier in the speech, about Bush’s presidency, and says McCain is going to continue Bush’s legacy if elected. Americans already don’t like Bush, so if Obama says McCain is going to continue doing what Bush did, they won’t want to vote for him.  While the use of this tactic is sure to gain more support, a man as “great” as Obama really shouldn't have to resort to mudslinging.

Obama’s main tactic, which he used to convince his audience to vote for him, was talking about what they care about. He delivered this speech in North Dakota, so he assumes that he is talking to mostly middle class citizens. Obama directly states that he is going to help out ordinary people like them through a system of government that is more involved than the current one.  A system of government that will make sure that problems, like unemployment, are addressed and fixed as soon as possible.  At the beginning of his speech, he says that he stopped in North Dakota even though most candidates just fly by and forget about them. He makes them feel special, like he is their friend and he is talking to them personally, while John McCain would simply write them off as unimportant. This will definitely ensure him some votes.

To get a few more votes, he adds that he cares about the republicans that vote for him also. He calls them “Obamacans”, resulting in a laugh from his audience. The humor, combined with support for Republicans, makes him appeal to a wider audience, like most of America.  However, in spite of this idea, that Obama represents all Americans, he might not consider the majority of America if he gets elected.

Obama also strengthens his argument through patriotism. He talks about fixing all the problems here, before we start helping other countries. Obama brings up all the great things Americans have achieved in the past, and with that same spirit we will fix all our current problems.  The United States needs to unite together and help each other get through these hard times till we are in a better state of the country. This shows that he is willing to bring the U.S. together to make our nation better.  Just look at his campaign slogan: Yes we can.  Most Americans enjoy being united, so this helps him get more votes. He even goes as far as to thank America for helping him get were he is today. Because if it was not for America his ancestors would have never been successful enough to get him a good education, which resulted in him becoming a senator. Convincing the people that he is a patriot always helps get votes, but will it really be that easy to unite our nation?

As Obama ends his speech, he talks about the future of America and how it will be if he is President in that future. He gives two main points about America’s future. First, he lets his audience know the realities of what he has promised them, which is the fact that it will take time for the U.S. to fix many of the problems that it has and that means it will take more presidents than just Obama to accomplish his goals. That is a very important thing to say. If he did not let them know the truth about how things like that work, he would be misleading them. He will gain support because people like someone who is honest. Second, he tells them that they will make it through these hard times; and it will be easier if they are lead by him. That may help him get more votes, but it may be easier if he is not president.

Obama gives some very good points that will help him get votes, but he may be misleading the American people. He needs to give the people proof that he will be a great president, instead of just giving them a bunch of promises. Otherwise, many people will be as disappointed with him as they were with George Bush.

Obama's Wonderful Speech

Barack Obama gave a speech in Grand Forks, North Dakota on April 4th, 2008. Listening to that speech made me realize something. I realized that Obama has a way of speaking that will get him elected as president and keep the American people happy with him throughout his presidency.

At the beginning of his speech, Obama talks about George W. Bush’s atrocious way of running our nation and the results because of it. Most American citizens don’t support Bush and his policies today because of the state of our economy, the war in Iraq, and the many other undesirable results of his presidency. Obama uses this fact to his advantage and tells his audience that he will fix those problems and bring America to a better tomorrow. This is an extremely effective way of convincing his audience that he is the right candidate to vote for. I know it pulled me in. Taking someone’s mistakes, especially the head of our country, and giving people the hope of fixing those mistakes is a great rhetorical tactic.

Obama covered other issues, that were not caused by Bush, like global warming. He brings them up in his speech as another lead into a promise for change. He does not say he will completely fix global warming and similar issues, but he tells his audience that he will take progressive steps toward solving these problems. Because he does not just say he will completely fix it in an instant, he is letting his audience know his is a realistic thinking man. That is the type of president I know I want.

Later on in Obama’s speech, he criticizes John McCain. He lets his audience know exactly why they should not vote for McCain. Utilizing his earlier statement about Bush’s way of running the country, Obama tells his audience that McCain will continue in Bush’s footsteps. He says that McCain won the political race to become the next George W. Bush. The fact that most people already hate Bush makes them just as likely to hate McCain after hearing that statement. Obama’s effectiveness at winning his audience over with words is astounding.

Obama delivered this speech in North Dakota, so he talks to his audience as middle class citizens. Even if they are not middle class citizens, if the majority of them are this is very effective. He tells his audience that, with him as president, he will fix the way our government helps the average joe. Currently, he hints at, our government is not doing much for middle class citizens directly. He promises a system of government that will get directly involved with its citizens and help them through hard times as quickly and effectively as possible. He also brings up the fact that he stopped in North Dakota to talk to them while most candidates ignore them and go to another state instead. By saying things that make them special, he extremely effective at convincing them to vote for him. If I lived in North Dakota, I would definitely vote for him.

Patriotism is another tactic Obama uses to gain more supporters. He focuses on letting his audience know that he is going to put United States Citizens before helping out other countries. He brings up the many great things Americans have done in the past and let’s his audience know they will do great things in the future. Uniting the nation will help us get through these difficult times to a better tomorrow. Most Americans appreciate being a united nation. As a result his united theme makes people want to unite and vote for him. I enjoy being a united with other people for a greater good. This makes me want to vote for him even more.

At the end of his speech, Obama talks about the future. A future were he is the president of the the United States. He does not just say he will make everything better as soon as he starts his presidency, if elected. Obama tells his audience how his plans for a better tomorrow will take some time. It will take many years and more presidents than just Obama. If we vote for him, he will start America on the track for a better tomorrow. That statement is one of the most important things he talks about in his speech. Most people would not think so, but if he did not bring up that point all the skeptics would try to penalize him for not doing so. He is a realistic man that knows how to make many Americans happy. Just about everyone wants an honest president that will lead them towards a much brighter future.

Obama’s speech in North Dakota is an excellent example of how he is such a great speaker. He uses anything relevant to our nation’s current state and shows how he will improve it if elected as president. Just thinking about how he gets his audience to support and vote for him makes me want to vote for him that much more. I hope after listening to me you feel the same way. Vote Obama!