What Really Made Obama’s Health Care Speech Good?
by Convincing Congress: A Neo-Aristotelian Critique of President Obama’s Health Care Reform Speech.
Convincing Congress:
A Neo-Aristotelian Critique of President Obama’s Health Care Reform Speech
President Barack Obama delivered his speech on health care reform to congress on September 9, 2009 at the Capital building in Washington, D.C. The speech was significant because of its critical effort in persuading congress to support the nationwide health care bill. I selected the Neo-Aristotelian method for its pertinence to persuasive speeches. I will use this method to determine whether Obama’s speech was effective. There are five canons in the Neo-Aristotelian method. The first canon is invention, which explores the location and creation of ideas and materials for the speech. The second canon is organization, which is the structure or arrangement of the speech. The third canon is style, which is the language used in the speech. The fourth canon is delivery, which is the management of voice and gestures in the presentation of the speech. And finally, the fifth canon is memory, which is the mastery of the subject matter and may include the actual memorization of the speech (Rhetorical Criticism 2004 p. 30.) Barack Obama used the five canons in order to deliver a reasonable and persuasive argument to congress and the general public.
According to the first canon: invention, the critic must examine the speaker’s major ideas, lines of argument, or content. Invention is thus broken down into two categories, external proofs such as testimony of witness or documents, and internal proofs including proofs that the rhetor creates. Internal proofs fall into three categories, logos: logical arguments, ethos: appeal of the rhetor’s character, and pathos: appeal to emotion. (Rhetorical Criticism 2004 p. 30) In applying invention to Obama’s speech, a variety of internal and external proofs are utilized.
The external proofs include facts about the necessity of health care. Though not citing his sources, Obama states the facts: “There are more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage.” He also states: “Every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone.” These proofs are used to help him paint a broad picture that applies to both the members of congress and all Americans. Obama follows the broad examples with more specific case based examples: “One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadn’t reported gallstones that he didn’t even know about. They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it.” He uses these facts to lead to his internal proofs.
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Post CommentDocvega
On October 25, 2009 at 7:55 am
You can intellectually dissect a speech or dissertation all you want in your evaluation, but that does not legitimize the argument The issue of nationalized health care is not about the abuses or inadequacy of our present health insurance system it is about whether all Americans can designate a privilege that should be earned as being a right which, like free speech, should be guaranteed. In the United States employment is a privilege that is earned not given. Owning a home is a privilege that is earned not given.
Illegal aliens entering this country are a threat to national security and in violation of US immigration laws. They would be eligible for health care under the proposed nationalized health plan. Where does it all end. How can we expect to spend even more billions of dollars that make the national debt even deeper and more pervasive?
Canada’s health care system is on the verge of collapse with waiting lines that guarantee that the ailing will die before they are ever treated, and fools like yourself continue to advocate an idiot’s argument for socialized medicine.
Let me make it clear for you. Health care in Communist regimes does not work, meet the needs of its people, nor does it save lives as socialistic economies cannot manage or cope with costs without oppressing the citizenry and controlling industry. Get it! America is not and never was intended to be a socialistic state!
Jduval at DarkGrin.com
On November 11, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Nobody complained when we required car insurance.. and that’s worked out pretty well.
If you heard the speech he said illegal aliens are NOT covered.
Hear the speech before you hate it.
PepePerez
On November 14, 2009 at 5:55 pm
My wife mentions every time we see President Obama making a speech, that he never delivers his speech to the front. To the left, to the right, but never straight ahead. I summised that it was because of the teleprompter that he uses. Is it that he does not wish to confront the viewing audience or is there something more profound? Is it that there are phycological reasons; that he something to hide, or that his speech trainer has a problem? I have to agree with my better-half, that it has become rather annoying. When someone speaks to me from the other side of the box, I do want to see the colour of their eyes now an again, to see what they are really thinking. Oh! by the way, I have searched myself silly trying to find the answer, but guess what? Nobody else out there seems to thinks that it is important. Your blog is as close as it gets
Jduval at DarkGrin.com
On November 18, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I think it’s two things, first, I think you’re right about the teleprompters. The second reason is because if he’s delivering a speech to an audience (instead of something newscast style where it’s only cameras) he’s supposed to be looking around. A good speaker tries to make eye contact with his audience constantly. That means he should be scanning the crowd trying to engage people to keep them interested.
Also, I’m pretty sure he’s not afraid of the media. I saw him give a speech where he talked about abortion to some religious college. Someone in the audience actually interrupted him and had to be escorted out. He said before continuing the speech: “It’s okay, we can’t shy away from something just because it’s uncomfortable.” (Pretty mature way to handle a heckle… I don’t think much about public speaking scares him.)
Doc Vaeg
On June 26, 2011 at 12:39 pm
People who support Obama’s nationalization of healthcare are sheep who can be easily manipulated by the government and willingly sacrifice their rights for socialistic domination. The above comments here are a pure example of those who lack critical thinking and are canon fodder for the government takeover of our lives. Idol worshipers who cannot see the coming slaughter!