Political Discourse

Political Discourse

Introduction

Political discourse aims to analyze the discourses that take place in the political arena including speeches, debates and public hearing. The speaker aims to engage in an informal exchange with the public by using historical events to build rapport. In this essay, I will be conducting an analysis of Paul Ryan's speech at the Republic National Convention on Aug 29, 2012. Paul Ryan was nominated as the candidate for Vice President's office by the Republic Party in the 2012 US election. The transcript of Ryan's speech was retrieved from Fox news (Foxnews 2012).

Discussion

According to Duranti, there are three strategies that are employed by politicians during their discourse with public (Duranti 2009, 261). During his speech, Ryan starts off by using the first strategy of “narrative of belonging” by introducing his family and friends with the audience. He moves on to describe his relationship and the contribution of his father in his success. Later he stresses on his association with his home town, Janesville. He tries to communicate that he is proud of his town , and the people have always been supportive of him. He is doing this in order to establish a perception in the minds of the audience that he is going to be the best candidate because he understands their problems.

He shares his experiences like working for a living while in college and the experiences of his mother after his father's death. He also gives a brief view of the teachings that were transferred from his father. He does so in order to give a perception of his respect and value for the elderly in the society. He shares the extra motivation that he has brought to the Republican Party's election campaign. He does so in a way to connect with the youth in the audience and stresses the fact that the difference in age between him and Mitt Romney makes up a lively mix. Furthermore, he has had the same experiences like his fellow Americans and invites the masses to join him in the effort to bring a drastic change in the country's situation.

Ryan used the inconsistencies inherent in the promises and claims made by Obama during his presidential campaign in 2008. He mentions that President Obama made a speech in front of the General Motors plant, claiming that if under his administration the plant would remain in service for the next 100 years. However, the plant was only able to survive for the next year of so under the Obama administration. Furthermore, during his campaign in 2008, Obama claimed that the $8 trillion debt of the previous government was a very severe threat to the economic prosperity of the country.

He claimed to reform it and was in Ryan's perspective a very optimistic vision. However, upon serving in the president's office, Obama has left the country in more than $16 trillion debt and his borrowings during his tenure were the highest among all the presidents in the American ...