1988 Presidential Election

Democracy in the United States is reliant upon its citizen’s ability to act as an informed electorate and vote for leaders through a critical process of due diligence. In an election as momentous as the presidency, various influences can give voters a false representation of their political endorsements. A central role in this notion is the ability to subconsciously prime voter perspectives and impact election outcomes using various forms of rhetoric. Politicians employ both forensic (judicial) and political (deliberative) rhetoric to attack the credibility of their opponents based on past injustices and persuade voters to take specified action in the future. This idea is evidenced in the 1988 presidential election between Republican George

Through inductive reasoning, Bush claimed that Dukakis’ backing of a convict furlough program, which allowed dangerous criminals to be temporarily released from prison, validated his assertion that the Governor was soft on crime. In contrast, Bush reaffirmed his support for the death penalty and vowed to take an aggressive stance against violence. The most influential commercial, “Willie Horton,” highlighted the case of convicted murderer William Horton. During Dukakis’ tenure as Governor, Horton was granted a weekend furlough pass from prison for good behavior. At the time of his release, Horton had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for his role in the brutal robbery and murder of a 17-year-old gas attendant. Instead of returning to prison by the mandatory deadline, Horton went on a violent crime spree and became a fugitive from the law. While on the run, he allegedly raped a woman multiple times, assaulted her fiancé, and robbed the couple. After being captured by police, a judge berated the Massachusetts judicial system for releasing such a violent prisoner and sentenced Horton to two life terms to be served consecutively plus an additional 85 years behind bars. In conjunction with his prison

Bush that incited pathos among American voters. Comprised of only 8 still images and stern narration, the “Willie Horton” advertisement permanently changed the public perception of Michael Dukakis and was a significant factor in his political defeat. While similar tactics are still prevalent in politics today, this form of one-sided rhetoric is contradictive to Aristotle’s rhetorical philosophy since it disregards Dissoi Logoi. According to Aristotle, it is essential to build an understanding of both sides of an argument to ensure that the truth prevails. Bush’s use of language in his television advertisements exemplifies Kenneth Burke’s theory of Terministic Screens and “Dramatistic” view of language. By inferring that he represented “good” while Dukakis signified “evil,” Bush successfully manipulated the interpretation of his message and led voters to his intended