Page 81 - Cultural Studies A Practical Introduction

Rhetoric 65

it initially seemed as if all she had going for her was her gender and her
age, for these would both counter Obama ’ s perceived strengths as a can-
didate who could shatter cultural barriers and bring fresh new ideas to the

office. In her nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National
Convention, Palin needed to reframe concerns about her lack of adequate

qualifications, renew American ’ s trust in the Republican Party, and redirect
public discourse about Barack Obama in order to diminish his reputation
and thwart his momentum. By almost all accounts, she was, at least briefl y,
successful in her efforts: her speech was lavishly praised in the news
media, and the McCain - Palin ticket drew even with Obama - Biden in the
polls released days after the convention. Using rhetorical analysis, we can
examine her speech to uncover the strategies she employed to accomplish
her goals.
America prides itself on its egalitarianism, the belief that all Americans
are created equal, and that through hard work and self - discipline, any
citizen has the opportunity to overcome obstacles of race, class, and gender
and achieve “ success, ” which is often associated with wealth, fame, and
power. We can see this core myth reinforced through popular American
stories from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to Rocky to Forrest Gump to
Legally Blonde , all variations on the rags - to - riches theme. Of course, we
know that in practical terms, the body and circumstances into which indi-
viduals are born stack the deck in favor of some people at the expense of
others. However, we also know that people ’ s expectations and attitudes are
shaped by the discourses circulating through the culture, and an appealing
illusion can often be more believable than the harsh complexities of mate-
rial reality. Political speeches, like movies, draw upon our dreams and
aspirations in order to manufacture a representation or image of the world
that is more compelling than everyday life. Lived experience provides the
raw material to be artfully refashioned by the speaker into a new version
of reality that listeners will want to bring into being through cooperative
action.
Palin wanted to erase the popular conception of John McCain as the
business - as - usual Washington insider and Barack Obama as the visionary
outsider, and script a new narrative in which she stood out as the upstart
maverick and McCain emerged as an uncompromising reformer. To do
so, Palin makes frequent appeals to the rags - to - riches, common (wo)man
versus the establishment mythology so cherished in American culture.
Notice how she calls out the “ experts in Washington ” and the “ pollsters
and pundits ” in her first few paragraphs, and sets up a dichotomy between