The article I looked at this week was called Where are Bush, Cheney as election nears?. The article explains why the former President and Vice President have been missing from the campaign trail as the election this year nears. A lot of the reason for their absence has to do with the state of their Ethos. "Ethos is the persuasive appeal a rhetor makes based on who the audience believes he or she is" (Bell, Conners, Sheckels 29-30). In other words it is the credibility of the person in question, and according to the article it is the reason why Bush has been absent. Republicans want to run for office without the chance of being compared to President Bush, while democrats main strategy is exactly that; convincing voters that voting for any Republicans will be like voting for more of the Bush era. The article suggests that President Bush is aware of his diminished ethos and out of respect for other Republicans is "staying out of the spotlight". Regardless of Bush staying out of the spotlight, President Obama has brought up President Bush's presidency several times during the campaign this year. As for Cheney, he has been vocal about some issues but has been dealing with health issues such as heart surgery. Unlike President Bush, most conservatives would like former Vice President Cheney to publicly speak on issues and help campaign, suggesting his ethos might be intact; regardless of how many liberals compare him to the devil. The article also talks about President Bush's book that will be released after the elections this year which might help him regain credibility and ethos.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/22/bush.cheney.campaign.trail/index.html?eref=ib_topstories
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I honestly had not even noticed that Bush and Cheney were absent from the campaign until I read your blog entry, but now it is completely obvious they are nowhere to be seen. I do have to agree with their tactics though. Most Americans have harsh opinions about Bush and Cheney because of how/what they did when they were in office. I think it is best for the Republicans if the two of them stayed out of the limelight until the elections are over. On a side note, I actually kind of respect the fact that Bush has realized his ethos have diminished, and therefore, has chosen to “stay out of the spotlight”. I do have to admit though that I am surprised that most conservatives want Cheney to publicly speak on issues. I assumed his ethos were just as bad as Bush’s.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that Bush and Cheney have been completely absent from the political campaign trails this year but it just shows that the Republicans have so much riding on this election maybe even more than the Democrats. As much as it seems that people want Bush or Cheney to be out there on the campaign trail I am reminded of when John McCain was campaigning and he avoided at all costs being connected with George Bush. While many people say that they want them out there I think that the majority of Republicans want Bush and Cheney to stay away because it seems to be just a matter of time before something stupid comes out of Bush’s mouth and they have to back track. The Republicans are riding a lot of momentum right now and I think that having Bush or Cheney out there would probably hurt more than it helps despite what people may be saying. It’s a simple case of saying one thing and meaning the opposite.
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad that a former President of The United States does not have the ethos that he should. It is very responsible of him to realize that he could be a flat tire on the campaign trail and does not want to tarnish Republicans' image. It is unfortunate that Cheney has been away with health issues but I as well believe that his ethos is not that great as well, after all he did serve under Bush. I also find it interesting that the article mentioned Bush's upcoming book that is being released to possibly regain his ethos. Maybe he wants people to pity him by understanding what happened during his presidency and his life.
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