PresidentialDebating—Logos, Ethos, Pathos and Responding
PresidentialDebating—Logos, Ethos, Pathos and Responding
ETHOS | “Well, my first job as commander in chief, Bob, is to keep the American people safe. And that`s what we`ve done over the last four years. We ended the war in Iraq, refocused our attention on those who actually killed us on 9/11. And as a consequence, Al Qaeda`s core leadership has been decimated. In addition, we`re now able to transition out of Afghanistan in a responsible way…” | This is an effective use of emotion since it depicts the fact that he acknowledges his authority as the leader of the country and in that respect he is perfectly understands that his main duty is assuring safety to the citizens. Additionally, the description of the process involving the transitions shows his capability and credibility as a president to deal with matters relating to security. |
PATHOS | “No, I don`t, because I think that America has to stand with democracy. The notion that we would have tanks run over those young people who were in Tahrir Square… But what I`ve also said is that now that you have a democratically elected government in Egypt, that they have to make sure that they take responsibility for protecting religious minorities.” | This response is very effective due to the fact that it directly focuses on democracy. In this case he effectively appeals to the audience emotionally by portraying the importance of respecting the rule of Law without necessarily trampling on those who are disadvantaged. Additionally, this is also a good appeal to pathos since the actions described could be considered a patriotic act that characterizes President Obama as compassionate. |
LOGOS | “Making sure that we`re bringing manufacturing back to our shores so that we`re creating jobs here, as we`ve done with the auto industry, not rewarding companies that are shipping jobs overseas. Making sure that we`ve got the best education system in the world, including retraining our workers for the jobs of tomorrow. Doing everything we can to control our own energy. We`ve cut our oil imports to the lowest level in two decades because we`ve developed oil and natural gas. But we also have to develop clean energy technologies that will allow us to cut our exports in half by 2020.” | The incorporation of facts and logic brings out the intent in his words. Specifically by expounding on the methods implemented to ensure job creation, he makes the statement quite logical and practical. The aspect of education and retraining is also factual and further accentuates the appeal to logos. While describing the advancements that have taken place during his term as president, he also lays on the table facts regarding technology that facilitates clean energy and the environment. The strong reasoning supplements his words depicting him as someone with sound intellectual and cognitive thinking with respect to the country’s advancements. |
RESPONSE | “Unfortunately, Governor Romney`s plan doesn`t do it. We`ve got to do it in a responsible way by cutting out spending we don`t need, but also asking the wealthiest to pay a little bit more. That way we can invest in the research and technology that`s always kept us at the cutting edge.” | Effective response because it openly speaks to Romney on the issue of economy. If this is accurate then Romney’s reliability would be subject to question mainly for the reason that he might seem as if he is not economically well informed and also lacking aptitude. |