Recently, as I finish my PhD, I’ve been trying to define my scholarly ambitions. I have many, but I tend to see myself as a media studies scholar who looks at the media through a critical rhetorical lens. I love the media and I love to show how it’s changed. I like to show the communication process and how the audience is participating more than ever before. The cool thing is that the media is participating back.

My background is broadcast news. I’ve always loved watching the news, I love reading the news, I love participating in news. I also love studying what audiences’s share. The future is news aggregators and how the news becomes consumer news and more personal because a person can add various feeds from various Web sites to their Google Reader and other various RSS feeds.  We now pick and choose where we want our news to come from–we just don’t have to rely on the evening paper and only one viewpoint–we have multiple voices. But, are there too MANY voices?  Like I say, it’s no different than the 17th and 18th century coffeehouses that Samuel Peyps frequented in London to gather all the information to include in his now famous diary, which by the way is a blog. Sometimes we have to go back to the fundamentals of communication to look at where we are now.

Since I have written my dissertation, I found a new love for writing about campaign communications. Technology has changed the way we see candidates. Transforming leaders help form public opinion through new technology be it print, radio, television or the Internet. Candidates are reaching out to citizens in new and innovative ways. Who knew we would find out the vice president choice at the same time the media did because of Twitter and text messages? Instant information is only going to prevail to help form public opinion and play a major key role in campaign 2012. The iPad, iPhone, and other new personal technology will allow us to be connected in trains, planes, and automobiles and probably in submarines!

So, Media Studies scholar is the best definition that I can find for myself. I’ve done the journalism thing in real life, I’ve studied it as a graduate student, I then learned how to rhetorically analyze the media to make sense out of what is happening with new media. I love rhetorical analysis and how it brings forth the changes in the communication process. It’s cool that my job is to look at media with a critical eye so we can all understand the communication process better.

I encourage all scholars to define their scholarly passions and define yourself and never apologize for your true scholarly ambitions.

The new Pew Internet and American Life Project shows how news is changing. We can carry the news around 24/7. It’s the ritual of communication that entices people to participate. People want to be a part of the “drama” of news–emerging media allows us to participate more readily. News is now becoming dialogically interactive–we now have multi-voiced reports that can give us a more vivid view of the world. As Walter Lippman said, “All the reporters in the world working all the hours of the day could not witness all the happenings in the world” (Public Opinion 338). With new emerging media–we just might witness all the happenings in the world.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project findings

The internet and mobile technologies are at the center of the story of how people’s relationship to news is changing. In today’s new multi-platform media environment, news is becoming portable, personalized, and participatory:

• Portable: 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones.
• Personalized: 28% of internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and on topics that particularly interest them.
• Participatory: 37% of internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

I am challenging my class to collaborate on Google docs to write an essay about how the Internet tells a current event story such as the Chile Earthquake.

This assignment enhances our chapter out of Jenkins book Convergence Culture: Photoshop for Democracy.

This week you do not have to do an individual blog post. Instead, you will break up into groups and explore a current events topic assigned by me. You will analyze how the people used the Internet to disseminate information.

Critically analyze how social media plays a role in your topic as Jenkins did for the chapter Photoshop Democracy.

1. How are citizens participating in these stories?

2. What  information did you find?

3. What social media sites did you find with the most useful information? Did you find the information credible?

4. Discuss the pros and cons to citizen media vs. traditional media such as broadcast news and newspapers.

5. Overall, how do you as a group feel that this current event is represented in a collective knowledge environment. Does the information get misconstrued, or more clear?

Hints: what are the search hastags in Twitter? What links are other people providing?

Overall, critically analyze the type of information you are finding and what types of Internet sites people are using to find information. Did you find Twitter to be more useful for up-to-date information than MSNBC.com or did you find that Twitter was useless.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COPYRIGHT……….. iii

DEDICATION……….. iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……….. v

ABSTRACT……….. vii

LIST OF TABLES……….. xii

LIST OF FIGURES……….. xiii

Chapter

I. USING TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE DIALOGIC INTERACTION:

A 219-YEAR HISTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS    ……….. 1

A 219-Year Tradition……….. 4

The Printing Press: Political Newspapers Reign in Campaigns……….. 5

Lincoln and the Telegraph……….. 9………..

Front Porches and Film……….. 10

President’s Voices in the Living Room……….. 12

A Radio Conversation: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Wired Connection……….. 15

A Step Back From Technology: Truman’s Whistle-Stop Campaign……….. 17

1952: The Power of Television   19

The First Televised Debates……….. 23

Identity and Eloquence……….. 25

New Media Changes Campaigns……… 27

Obama 2.0……….. 28

II. THE CHANGING LANGUAGE OF POLITICS: HOW TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMED AND ENRICHED THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL

CANDIDATES’ DIALOGUE WITH THE ELECTORATE…….. 3

The Rhetorical Situation……….. 37

Discovering New Media’s Rhetorical Situation and Rhetorical Strategies……….. 41

Figures of Speech……….. 46

Incumbent, Challenger, or Both: The Perceived Candidate……….. 54

The Bakhtin Influence……….. 57

Chapter Summary……….. 59

III. METHODOLOGY……….. 61

The Method……….. 66

Limitations to Study……….. 69

IV. ETHOS: BUILDING CREDIBILITY WITH EXAMPLES……….. 72
Obama……….. 74

Clinton……….. 81

McCain……….. 83

Chapter Summary……….. 84
V. PATHOS: CREATING A CONNECTION TO THE ONLINE AUDIENCE……….. 87

Obama……….. 92

Clinton……….. 97

McCain……….. 102

Chapter Summary……….. 106
VI. LOGOS: ADDING VALUE TO AN ONLINE CAMPAIGN BLOG……….. 108
Dinumeratio……….. 110

Obama……….. 111

Clinton……….. 117

McCain……….. 120

Exemplum……….. 121

Obama……….. 123

Clinton……….. 127

McCain……….. 129

Time……….. 132

Obama……….. 134

Clinton……….. 137

McCain……….. 138

Argumentative……….. 140

Obama……….. 143

Clinton……….. 151

McCain……….. 154

Chapter Summary……….. 155

VII.  WHITE HOUSE 2.0: MOVING TOWARD AN ONLINE DIALOGICAL

INTERACTIVE CITIZENSHIP……….. 157

Obama’s Use of New Media……….. 159

Clinton’s Use of New Media……….. 164

McCain’s Use of New Media……….. 165

Summations……….. 166

Recommendations……….. 168

President 2.0……….. 170

WORKS CONSULTED…….. 173

APPENDICES

A. Examples of Obama Blogs from March 2008—Election Day……….. 188
B. Examples of John McCain Blogs from March 2008-October 2008……….. 215

C. Examples of Hillary Clinton Blogs from March 2008-November 2008……….. 230

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Number Of Candidates’ Blog Posts Analyzed From

March 2008-November 4, 2008……….. 66

Table 2 Endorsement Exemplums Used As A Rhetorical Tool

To Increase Candidate’s Ethos……….. 74

Table 3 Pathos Dominant Figures Of Speech In Candidates’

Campaign Blogs……….. 88

Table 4 Each Candidate’s Use Of The Figure Of Speech Dinumeratio……….. 111

Table 5 Candidate’s Use Of The Figure Exemplum……….. 122

Table 6 Time Figures Of Speech Used By Candidates……….. 133

Table 7 Argument Figures Of Speech ………..  142

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1: Herbert Hoover accepts the 1928 ……….. 13

Fig. 2: “High Prices,” Citizens for Eisenhower, 1952 ……….. 21

Fig. 3 An example entry from Obama March 2008 analysis form……….. 67

Fig. 4: Excerpt of Obama’s March spreadsheet shows documentation of rhetorical

figures of speech among other data……….. 68

Fig. 5: Sam Graham-Felsen posts the APWU endorsement, April 9, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 75

Fig. 6: Sam Graham-Felsen posts a delegate endorsement, May 14, 2008 my.barackobama.com………… 77

Fig. 7: Christopher Hass posts John Edwards’s endorsement with video,

May 14, 2008, my.barackobama.com………… 78

Fig. 8: Sam Graham-Felsen posts John Edwards’s endorsement with an

interactive “Make Calls” button, May 14, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 79

Fig. 9: Christopher Hass posts the Denver Post endorsement on October 17, 2008,

my.barackobama.com……….. 80

Fig. 10: Matt Tepper posts a “Must Read” U.S. Rep. John Murtha endorsement,

March 18, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 82

Fig. 11: Ben Olson posts a former Cinton administration official endorsement,

October 14, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 83

Fig. 12: Message from David Plouffe on September 24, 2008,

my barackobama.com……….. 93

Fig. 13: Obama’s campaign urges blog readers on July 30, 2008 to donate,

my.barack.obama.com……….. 94

Fig. 14: Obama’s campaign urges readers to register to vote, October 4, 2008,

my.barackobama.com……….. 95

Fig. 15: Amy Hamblin posts a my.barackobama.com milestone,

October 30, 2008……….. 97

Fig. 16: Lindsay Levin posts Clinton’s message to ask supporters

to contribute to her campaign, May 21, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 99

Fig. 17: Clinton asking readers to contribute to her campaign April 4, 2008,

hillaryclinton.com……….. 101

Fig. 18: Clinton Wins! March 4, 2008, hillaryclinton.com………… 102

Fig. 19: McCain asking readers to sign a petition. October 17, 2008,

johnmccain.com……….. 103

Fig. 20: McCain’s blog connects with readers through his story about

The Pledge of Allegiance, April 2, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 104

Fig. 21: McCain’s blog acknowledges poster designs from supporters,

August 15, 2008, johnmccain.com…………….. 105

Fig. 22: Obama’s campaign publishes the front page of the Detroit Free Press,

June 17, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 112

Fig. 23: Example of a daily post called Morning News that lists newspaper excerpts, September 25, 2008, mybarackobama.com……….. 113

Fig. 24: Obama’s blog reports on the Texas Democratic Party State Convention

in Austin, June 7, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 114

Fig. 25: Christopher Hass posts Obama’s stop at M&M café

April 6, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 116

Fig. 26: Clinton posts daily Hubdates to inform her blog readers,

March 15, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 118

Fig. 27: Scott Zumwait reminds and summarizes recently attended

and successful campaign events. May 11, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 119

Fig. 28: McCain posts information about his new television ad on his

campaign blog on July 10, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 120

Fig. 29: McCain summarizes his Saturday Night Live appearance,

May 18, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 121

Fig. 30: Amanda Scott posts an example of two military veteran supporters

on October 3, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 123

Fig. 31: Amanda Scott posts stories from Pennsylvania residents on April 4, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 125

Fig. 32: Women who support Obama, May 24, 2009, my.barackobama.com……….. 126

Fig. 33: Lindsay Levin posts about two elderly women who support

Clintons campaign, March 10, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 127

Fig. 34: Lindsay Levin posts about Clinton’s campaign stop, March 13, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 128

Fig. 35: Patrick Hynes posts video of a boy who supports McCain,

April 3, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 130

Fig. 36: McCain supporters who believe McCain won the debate,

October 16, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 131

Fig. 37: On behalf of Jon Carson, Amanda Scott posts Jon’s email about

donating to the campaign before the midnight deadline……….. 134

Fig. 38: Amanda Scott posts the debate Reviews From Network and

Cable News Outlets. September 27, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 136

Fig. 39: Lindsay Levin posts an invitation to the Elton John fundraising concert benefitting Clinton’s campaign, March 19, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 137

Fig. 40: Matt Lira invites readers to view a McCain and Palin live video event, September 18, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 138

Fig. 41: McCain’s campaign encourages blog readers and supporters to plan events to support his campaign, August 2, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 139

Fig 42: Amanda Scott posts comments on Palin’s statements during the

vice-presidential debate, October 2, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 144

Fig. 43: Molly Claflin posts comments on McCain’s statements during the presidential debate, October 7, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 145

Fig. 44: Sam Graham-Felsen posts a memo sent out by the Obama campaign rejecting Clinton’s tactics, March 28, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 147

Fig. 45: David Plouffe criticizes McCain’s campaign strategies, October 17, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 149

Fig. 46: Sam Graham-Felsen posts a thank you to Fox news reporter,

Chris Wallace, March 21, 2008, my.barackobama.com……….. 150

Fig. 47: Lindsay Levin argues Clinton’s campaign is not over, May 13, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 152

Fig. 48: Lindsay Levin posts Hillary’s statement about International Women’s Day, March 8, 2008, hillaryclinton.com……….. 153

Fig. 49: Matt Lira posts that Obama is wrong about the Iraq War. July 16, 2008, johnmccain.com……….. 154

Here is the official abstract that will be attached to my dissertation!

ABSTRACT

JANET LYNN JOHNSON

BLOGS AND DIALOGISM IN THE 2008 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

MAY 2010

The historical 2008 U.S. Presidential Election has set a new-media standard for future online campaigns. New media allows candidates to create a more dialogical and intimate experience with the electorate. The 2008 election is the topic of this study, which is a rhetorical analysis of Barack Obama’s, Hillary Clinton’s, and John McCain’s campaign blogs from March 1, 2008 to November 4, 2008. In this rhetorical analysis, I explore the dominant figures of speech used in each blog post to identify which figures the candidates used to appeal to the electorate to act. In this study, my primary goal was to show the rhetorical tools that candidates effectively used online to create dialogical interaction with readers. Of the three candidates, Obama and his campaign create the most significant dialogical interactive campaign with his blog posts by using figures of speech that include logical proof, emotional appeals, and endorsements; Clinton’s and McCain’s campaigns both fail to appeal via blogs to the electorate because they do not use all available means of persuasion. In response to the 2008 election, future presidential candidates will emulate online campaign standards set forth by Obama’s rhetorical accomplishments and by Clinton’s and McCain’s rhetorical failures. This study provides a rhetorical framework to guide future candidates to use persuasive means through emerging media and to encourage rhetoricians to recognize the rhetorical significance of online political communications.

I’m not a coffee drinker, I’m a tea drinker. In fact, I think I’m turning into a tea snob.

I’ve recently discovered the taste difference between preparing loose tea vs. tea bags. Loose tea just gives out a richer, more flavorful taste than tea bags. When you open your tea strainer, you find the leaves expand to release the tea’s full flavor. It’s amazing how one scoop of tea leaves can bring one cup stress relief. Right now I’m on a green tea expedition. I’ve heard it’s really good for you, and when I first tried it, I didn’t care for the bland taste. Now that I’ve been drinking more loose tea and underprocessed tea, the taste is unbelievable.

Here are some of my favorite teas that I’ve recently tried:

• Jasmine Jazz: This green tea with  Jasmine is really delicious. I bought a small package at Central Market. I can’t wait to go and buy more.
• Spring Cherry: This green tea is delicious. It’s a perfect afternoon tea to wake up your senses. I never thought green tea could taste so flavorful. Again, I got this at Central Market where you can buy loose tea. I like to sample the teas so I can go back and try more.
• Paris: This black tea blend is delicious. It’s not strong, just right. I bought the loose tea, but they also come in cool tea bag satchels that has loose tea in them that lets the tea expand.
• Wedding: This white tea is flavorful and great while reading a good book. I buy the tea satchels.
• Yellow and Blue: Want to fall asleep? Drink this cup and you’ll be asleep instantly. This tea is the best before bed tea I’ve ever had.

This list is just a sampling of the teas I’ve been trying lately.I highly recommend trying loose tea. It’s not a hassle. I bought a tea scoop and a strainer and I make the perfect cup each time. The taste is outstanding and so much better than the old-fashioned Lipton tasteless tea. There are so many good health benefits to drinking tea as well. Tea just warms my soul and makes my worries fade away–only because I always feel very relaxed after a cup. I drink several cups a day. In fact, I think I’ll make another cup, but which one, they are all so good!

Enjoy tea time all day!

The news seems to only show the bad news. We are bombarded with bad news through the Internet, 24 hour cable news, and access to news on our mobile phones. This past week we heard about the University of Alabama professor shooting her colleagues in a faculty meeting, and then yesterday a man flew a plane into a federal building that housed the IRS in Austin. What is going on? Is their any one doing any good out there? Last night I turned on the television to the Olympics. I saw that Evan Lysacek reclaimed the gold medal for the U.S.A. I only saw the medal ceremony, but instantly felt pride and excitement Lysacek won. The Men’s Figure Skating competition was the must see of the night. Once I saw Lysacek won–all the bad news from the day started to melt away. I wish I had watched the competition, but I was knee deep in dissertation revisions.

This morning I saw an article in the The New York Times about Lysacek. The Russian skater Plushenko said maybe Lysacek won because he didn’t have a gold medal yet. I think Lysacek won because he showed passion for the sport rather than concentrating on the negative. I think we can all learn from Lysacek. He decided he was going to mind his own business:

Lysacek Wins the Gold with Style:

For Plushenko, though, the performance was not a complete disappointment. He had landed the quadruple jump, which requires four full rotations and is the hardest jump in the sport. He had added a third Olympic medal to his booty.

“I said I would be happy with second, third or even fifth place after not skating for three and a half years before this,” he said. “So this is not bad, not bad at all.”

Still, he and his coach, Aleksei Mishin, continued to say that male skaters who did not try the quad were basically wimps. Their theory is that no-quad performances are setting the sport back at least a decade. Mishin said “a real champion should execute quadruple jumps.” Plushenko hinted that Lysacek’s performance was subpar.

“If the Olympic champion doesn’t know how to jump a quad, I don’t know,” Plushenko said. “Now it’s not men’s figure skating. It’s dancing. Maybe figure skating needs a new name.”

But before this Olympics, Lysacek had put a note on his wall that said: Mind your own business. It was his reminder to keep his focus off other people and focus on his own skating. And it worked.

Thank you Lysacek for bringing home the gold and showing us the good news of the day. Also, you showed us to not to listen to negative people. Plushenko with his negative words about his own sport proved he didn’t have the passion to win if all he cared about was one jump, which he didn’t land THAT well. His negativity showed through his performance. And, Lysacek proves a positive attitude and being nice wins each time.

No one really tells you what it’s like to write a dissertation, finish a dissertation, and then revise a dissertation. As I finished revising Chapter 5 of my dissertation I wondered how did I do it? To write a dissertation takes perseverance. You really must focus on the task and just do it. No one but yourself can write the paper. People will make every excuse why they don’t write! Believe me I had my down days and my up days, but there was one thing I did everyday–work on the dissertation–even if it was to delete an extra period from the dissertation, I looked at it and I tried to move forward.

Also, no one tells you how much time it will take out of your life–you have no life OTHER than dissertating because if you don’t dissertate you feel GUILTY for not dissertating! With that said once you finish you feel all these emotions you didn’t expect. I felt happy, relieved, lazy, and sort of depressed????  What??? Depressed???  Yes, the goal was finished! Now what?  Ummm… revisions are next!

After my successful defense I was handed over my revisions. They are not too bad. I’m working in suggestions from my committee members. I’m looking at my paper with a new fresh set of eyes since I took Christmas break off from it. Since I had to pay for another semester, I figured I should take a break and revisit the paper at the start of the Spring semester. Now I have only two more chapters to revise and again, all these emotions come flooding back. What do I do after my revisions are done? Oh, I get to be a REAL doctor–that’s what! But, it’s bittersweet in many ways. I’ll miss being a grad student because I met some fascinating people along my journey. I think the fact my mom won’t see me finish grad school makes it harder in many ways to accept I’m done.

I am already thinking of new goals. My first goal is to turn my dissertation project into a book. I know what you’re thinking, who in the world wants to read a dissertation? Not many people, I understand this point. I have hopes of turning certain parts of my dissertation into a book. I don’t think figures of speech would make for a New York Times best seller. I would like to write about the history of technology in campaigns and how social media has changed the face of presidential campaigns. Many politicians discounted the Internet to play a critical role in a campaign. Yes, politicians create the obligatory Web site, but Obama created an information social media powerhouse.

Whoever is behind Obama’s social media dynasty, changed the face of campaigns. Now WE can respond and connect with the candidates like never before. Let’s just say, it’s pretty cool to be able to comment and respond to the campaign who wants to know our opinions. It’s now a thing of the past to sit passively by watching television listening to soundbite after soundbite. Now candidates can put all those misconstrued soundbites into perspective. The soundbite could almost become it’s own figure of speech.

I have so many new media projects I want to work on as well as return to my journalism research roots. I think I’ll have plenty of papers to write after the dissertation! So, I really do have plenty to do after my dissertation is polished! I feel better already!

This Friday my panel and I missed the Federation Rhetoric Symposium hosted by  Texas Woman’s University’s English Speech & Foreign Languages. Each year  either Texas A&M Commerce or Texas Woman’s University hosts the event. This year’s speaker was going to be Patricia Bizzell. But, unfortunately, my friends and I live too far to have chanced driving in such a snowy and icy mess, especially when my BFF, colleague, and  fellow presenter, Carie Lambert’s hill was a sheet of ice in McKinney. Denton is further north of McKinney so we decided the roads were not safe. In fact, one of my panelists had a tree fall on her car. In any event, we missed meeting Dr. Bizzell.

I have learned a lot because of Dr. Bizzell. Her book, The Rhetorical Tradition that she co-authored with Bruce Herzberg was used in my first History of Rhetoric class. I was hoping for a signed book because that book helped me understand the origins and practice of rhetoric. So, thank you Dr. Bizzell. I was hoping for a picture of you and I to put with Dr. Thomas Sloan in my office. I’m in the beginning of making a hall of fame wall. So far, I’m failing.

My colleagues and I prepared a roundtable discussion over Rhetoric and Technology. My part was going to be about politics online with an emphasis on the 2008 Presidential Campaign. Here are the points I was going to go over that I discovered in my dissertation.

• •Elections are important because they allow us freedom to actively participate in selecting our leaders. They are the core of democracy. Nowhere in the world are more people more freely engaged in active, responsible participation in the choice of leadership than in the United States (Trent and Friedenberg 3).
• •Ethos: –Candidates’ used exemplum-example
  –Obama found his weakness—his lack of experience—and countered that information by posting endorsements to show voters those credible politicians and organizations support him as president.
• •Pathos:
  –Of the three presidential candidates, Obama best succeeded in creating emotional connections with his audience. Obama created a dialogical interaction. Obama urged readers to make phone calls, attend events, and to donate money.
  –Clinton and McCain failed to create emotional connections with their blog readers. –Used Visuals
• •Logos:
  –Blogs allow for candidates to recap and summarize days events.
  –Posted times for events
  –Blogs allowed candidates to refute claims made during the Presidential debates.

In conclusion:

• •The 2008 Presidential Campaign set the standard for future online campaigns.
• •Obama took advantage of the immediacy that the Internet provides to create a venue for an online audience who relies heavily on receiving information via the Internet.
• •Clinton did not provide enough posts throughout the day. She hid her endorsements and did not highlight her volunteers. She also was not aggressive enough in dispelling Obama’s accusations.
• •McCain’s blog failed to update, emote, and build his credibility.

Of course I was going to be witty and funny while presenting… but as always, the best laid plans are never that well planned.

Yesterday, February 11, an unusual weather event hit North Texas. A record breaking snow fall of almost a foot of snow in some area.  The snow brought photo opportunities.