My homepage has been blown up with the Ann Romney story. If you haven't heard, Mitt Romney says he is in touch with women's economic concerns, and gets a lot of insight and information from his wife, Ann. Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist on CNN responded that Ann Romney had "never worked a day in her life," and she was thus an inaccurate measure of women's economic concerns. This was a big deal, and it is interesting from a few rhetorical standpoints.
First, Rosen should have been more careful in her word choice. Rather than saying something heated like she did, she should have said Ann never worked outside the home, or never dealt with economic struggles, or something to that effect. Transferring her argument from one of pathos to one of logos would have fit the rhetorical situation (professional, reliable news broadcast) much better, and her message could have been heard by more audiences with slightly less criticism.
Second, Mitt Romney should have thought about credentials and ethos before he made a public statement that he listens to his wife about women's economic concerns. Her ethos is just not established well enough, at least not publicly, to be regarded as a reputable source for that kind of information. Yes, she is a mother, and manages many houseworkers in multiple households, and that requires a high level of organization and patience. However, if she's never had to deal with economic hardship, it's less likely that she can properly convey the concerns of women who are struggling to feed their children. Of course, it's possible that Ann is very in touch with women's economic concerns, and has credentials to speak to this (although I have not seen any in my research). But being a woman does not automatically make her qualified to represent all women from all walks of life, and thus Romney should have explained why he thinks she is a good person to listen to on women's economic concerns. Since Ann is not well known, and neither are her credentials, her ethos should have been established explicitly.
This is a good point on a story I hadn't heard about. It doesn't surprise me that a news organization would opt for the pathos bid instead of the logos bid; I've come to expect this from cable news. What surprises me is that Romney and his strategists wouldn't have thought of a better way to present the potential first-lady for what is, as far as I can tell, the first time on the national stage. He shouldn't just throw her into the pool fully clothed, shouting "LOOK AT WHAT MY WIFE KNOWS!!!" It would make more sense (to me, at least) to build up her character and reputation a bit before trying to get voters to fall in love with her.
ReplyDeleteMany people do not think before they speak so they end up saying the wrong things. Sometimes I feel sorry for politicians, because they are always put on the spot and have to think about answers very quickly. Nonetheless, they are trained, educated individuals who are supposed to think of intelligent answers even when they are put on the spot. This is not an excuse for lying
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