Biting the Bullet at the Debate
Last night at the Vice Presidential Debate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, went head-to-head in what seemed to be one big giant interruption. The moderator, Elaine Quijano, asked a certain question that seemed to spark some intensified tension. “Do we ask too much of police officers in this country? And how would you specifically address the chief’s concerns? Senator Kaine?” Turning into a question of 2nd Amendment Rights, the candidates’ responses were notably compelling in rhetoric.
Senator Kaine—The gun owner
Although many deemed Mike Pence winner of the 2016 Vice Presidential debate, Kaine utilized key rhetorical strategies such as Identification and leaned on the Narrative Standard to intensify and elicit specific emotions. Chris Megerian from the Los Angeles Times claims that Kaine’s position on gun control “have become more stringent over time” and “his support for tougher gun control meshes with Clinton’s platform”. This is obvious, however Tim Kaine’s opening statement of “I’m a gun owner. I’m a strong 2nd Amendment supporter, but I got a lot of scar tissue” was a statement not so expected.
Persuasive Communication is key
The four principles of persuasive communication according to Westin’s The Political Brain are essential, however, Tim Kaine accentuated on one precisely. The first principle of Westin’s states, “Always try to elicit specific emotions”. Kaine verbally allotted himself a connection to gun owners and 2nd Amendment supporters and viewers. Using specific words associated with the way a viewer and/or potential voter perceives the issue was the strategy Kaine used to tackle this gun control discussion. However he handled the discussion with a Narrative Standard. He spoke about his time in office as governor of Virginia when the massacre at Virginia Tech occurred. I found this an interesting way to put his views of gun control into perspective for those who do favor the 2nd Amendment. A connection first with the opposition, and then a narrative standard to aid in persuasion of Clinton’s gun control platform. Persuasion is powerful.