Condoleezza Rice at the Republican National Convention in 2000

            On August 1, 2000 Condoleezza Rice spoke at the Republican National Convention, her main objective was to get President George W. Bush (at that time the Texas Governor) elected for his first term as President.

            In her speech, Condoleezza used nearly all of the political language strategies including reinforcement, identification, polarization, defining, labeling, creating drama, and persuasion. Reinforcement is obviously was a very influential strategy for Condoleezza to use during this speech, she was speaking to a large group of Republicans making reinforcement one of the easiest strategies for her to use. The group she was speaking to agree with her ideologically, if not exactly more so than they did with the Democratic candidate, so nearly everything she said reinforced their beliefs and values while also getting the audience excited.

            I believe that a lot of the strategies were used intertwined for example Condoleezza used defining to define family values as a Republican value, everyone to an extent has family values so all of the people in the audience probably thought, “well I think family is important” thus reinforcing their affiliation to the Republican party.

            Condoleezza used identification heavily throughout her speech; she repeatedly said the words “our Party” which automatically gives of the idea that she and the audience are one in the same that they are on the same side. Rice also told a story at the end of the speech about her grandfather, Granddaddy Rice, and how he came from nothing and made something of himself; she said that was not only her grandfather’s story but also the American story. By saying that his story is the American story she is making it possible for the audience to put themselves in that story and relate to what she is saying.

                       

            Polarization was used but only once and briefly, I believe that was because she knew that the audience was on her side and she was not needed to persuade them to switch affiliations. She used polarization by telling the story of how her father decided to become a Republican, “He joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did. My father has never forgotten that day, and neither have I.”

Rice creates drama by talking about the possibility of war, and blackmail that could happen if an outlaw state got access to long-range ballistic missiles.

            Rice uses labeling to say that protecting our country, and using our military is a good thing, that being victorious is a good thing, and that letting other countries blackmail and threaten us is a bad thing. Lastly as in every political communication there is the use of persuasion. Rice talks up President George W. Bush and makes him seem like an amazing man and candidate. I feel that Rice was successful in her functions of the political language; mainly because her main objective was completed George W. Bush won the election.

             The main strategy that I do not think was used was inoculation and that is because it was not necessary. When the people you are talking to agree with you, there is no need to defend your position. When Rice gave this speech George W. Bush was the Republican candidate for the presidential election, and the people who attend the Republican National Convention are Republican’s so they were already on his side.

            I encourage you all to read this speech; knowing all that has happened with the war in the Middle East it was interesting and kind of eerie to read.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=123269