The Rhetorical Situation, Essay Example

Rhetorical discourse is a ubiquitous aspect of political discourse, precisely because rhetoric endeavors to persuade the individual of the merits of a given political position. In the political ad known as “Strong” by Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, Perry defines his candidacy as a protector of America’s Christian religious heritage. It is this Christian religious heritage that Perry suggests is what has made America historically successful. The loss of this heritage which Perry detects is thus a simultaneous loss of American prestige. Perry’s historical claims about what caused American geopolitical success in the past are dubious from the perspective of logic. For example, there is any number of Christian nations in the world: why do all of them not enjoy the geopolitical successes of America? If America had a different religious faith, as opposed to Christianity, would it have precluded America’s success? It rather appears that Perry is making an appeal to a substantial voter’s block in the United States, that of the Christian voter. He is successful in his speech insofar as he dedicates himself to their principles. Yet the explicit nature of his method threatens to isolate the sizeable non-Christian population in America, or those of Christian background who believe in a strict separation between state and religion.

Colbert’s various political parodies of Rick Perry do not focus so much on the content of Perry’s own discourse, but rather emphasize aspects of campaign fundraising and manipulation of polls. The underlying message is to expose the faulty logic of campaign financing and critique how Super PACs and other such legal entities have worsened the political climate in America, by allowing unlimited funding. Colbert rightly criticizes the absurdity of this type of fundraising. Yet he does so ineffectively, relying upon clichés related to, for example, Iowa and essentially worsening what amounts to a form of class war in American between the urban and rural communities. Colbert’s parody is thus the mirror image of Perry, merely appealing to one side of the divide. A successful rhetorical discourse would understand that any rhetorical situation is made up of a conflict between parties: that is precisely why rhetoric exists, so as to create a reasonable solution to this conflict that can be logically understood by the majority. By isolating one side of the conflict, this tactic fails to achieve its aim on a grander scale. It appears that the division in American politics is being encouraged by both right and left, as opposed to being resolved.