When Obama was elected President of the United States, it was a historic day in this country. As the first African-American president, Obama was breaking boundaries. During this time, there were many ads being broadcasted. Some that will attack the opponent, and some that are just purely to show a more personal side to the candidates. One ad that I saw that stuck out to me was the 2008 ad featuring Barack Obama. This ad shows Barack Obama talking directly to the camera about his past childhood, and then transitions into pictures from his childhood. This ad aimed to persuade the everyday people, and the working class. Obama was trying to connect with people who have gone through struggle, because if they see that he has been there too, he will keep them mind with his power.
The presidential ad put forth by Barack Obama mainly uses pathos. The first statement that Obama makes is that “America is a country of strong families and strong values” (The Living Room Candidate). This is already telling the audience that he
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Obama did not give specifics about his education, or why he would be better than John McCain, but he simply used a large amount of pathos. He focused primarily on his background and story to prove his qualifications, rather than educational or occupational background. I feel that this ad would be strengthened if he gave more insight into his professional background and why that makes him a better candidate. A quote that backs up my claim is “Aristotle says that to be effective, a communicator has to take three concepts into consideration: Ethos, Pathos, Logos.” Therefore, if Obama is lacking in any of these, the ad will be ineffective. Ethos is present when Obama talks about the morals instilled into him by his grandparents, because that show his character and the character of his family. If there had been a better balanced of ethos, pathos, and logos, it probably would have been more