Campaign post-morterm analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Campaign post-morterm analysis - Research Paper Example The Obama campaign had faced different rhetorical challenges at the outset: the negative turnout in 2010 which shifted the confidence of the voters from the Democrats to the Republicans; the eventual developments in the economy and national security; less control over rhetorical strategy in presidential debates and forums; and time constraints and fewer communication alternatives. Surfacing The primary purpose of surfacing is to help determine the focus of the campaign (Smith 189). Barack Obama establishes the rhetorical theme for the campaign. Running for his second term, as he travels around the country, he begins to understand the concerns of the people, begins to relate himself to those concerns, and begins to develop solutions to issues that appear to be in agreement with popular opinion. The mass media reiterate Obama’s statements and hence help transform the issues and opinions into state or national concerns. Barack Obama officially declared his re-election campaign on the 4th of April 2011 (EM Publications (b) 18). The very first communication activity they engaged in was a promotional video depicting Obama supporters mobilizing for the re-election campaign. They used Facebook and Twitter to reach a larger target audience. Even the official announcement of his re-election plan was carried out through an online video that can be viewed on his campaign website. The campaign started with the slogan ‘It Begins with Us’ (EM Publications (b) 18). Another communication strategy of the Obama campaign for 2012 was the decision to base the campaign in Chicago, where recent former U.S. presidents also based their re-election campaigns. On the 30th of April 2012, the campaign launched a new slogan: ‘Forward’ (EM Publications (b) 18). Basically, Obama had a massive campaign effort. Obama applied his 2008 campaign communications to reinforce his goals for 2012. The campaign had created comprehensive records of its supporters and had an accurate knowledge of the people it can recruit to take part in demonstrations, communicate with legal representatives, and attract others to support Obama programs. The exigencies of the campaign, embedded in their slogan ‘Forward’, were to help improve employment opportunities, health care, education, and energy autonomy of the country. The target audience of the campaign was the masses or the working class, which was also reflected in the refusal to base the campaign in Washington, DC. The main factor that constrained the campaign’s choices was the negative turnout of the 2010 election. The voters held President Obama responsible for the economic downturn, rising unemployment, poor health care system, and other issues that should be prioritized. At the time, American voters had more confidence in Republicans than Democrats on major concerns about the U.S. economy. Within the perspective of narrative analysis, the communication choices of the Obama campaign for 2012 worked persuasively. The narrative framework had demonstrated the effectiveness of evaluating and discussing changes in the political and historical situation of America. The Obama campaign concentrated its rhetorical force mainly on policy appeals. The rhetorical strategy at this stage was governed by policy discourse, particularly as regards the economy. The strength of this rhetorical strategy, based on narrative analysis, rests in its outcome, stability, and importance, and the degree to which it is rooted in the interest