Melissa Mark-Viverito, City Council Speaker and a surrogate for Hillary Clinton, employs ethos in order to send the message Clinton is more stable and fit to run for presidency than Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. According to NY1, Mark-Viverito endorsed Clinton in September 2015, helping launch the group “Mujeres for Hillary” and traveling across three states to speak in favor of Clinton.
Mark-Viverito shows her support as a surrogate speaker in early September 2015 by stating Clinton puts forward a “stronger and clearer vision.” Mark-Viverito employs ethos by confirming credibility through her position as City Council Speaker. Burns states it was not always known if Mark-Viverito would support Clinton after she expressed admiration of Bernie Sanders earlier in the year. This contributes to the idea that out of every candidate, Mark-Viverito believes Clinton holds the most stable track record in regards to policy and past voting. This is a means of creating credibility for Mark-Viverito, as though she had experience with each candidate and chose the best option. Mark-Viverito employed ethos when she said “[Clinton] is really taking on issues that matter to me personally.” She is attempting to persuade the audience to delve deeper into Clinton’s issues by persuading them to take the issues personally. She states “I am solidly behind Hillary Clinton” and refers to her as “a friend to Puerto Rico.” Mark-Viverito is attempting to create the image of Clinton as a friend to all by endorsing her campaign and publicly speaking on her behalf.
In conclusion, Mark-Viverito effectively employs ethos when acting as a surrogate for Clinton through her position as City Council Speaker.
I commend you for shining the spotlight on a surrogate who is not as well known as surrogates like President Obama, Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden. I would love more information about Melissa Mark-Viveto’s background such as where she comes from and her specific stances. You claim she uses ethos effectively. Do you think that she could be even more effective in yielding her ethos if she uses more details like why the certain issues Clinton addresses appeal to her personally. Perhaps, if Mark-Viveto used a personal story and explained her views. I think this would strengthen her ethos by providing people an opportunity to relate and align with her. If people feel connected to her and see her as an authority on the issues based on experience this should increase the likelihood that people will listen to her because of her strong ethos. In my opinion, transparency has great potential to enhances a person’s ethos as long as they have nothing to hide.
I commend you for shining the spotlight on a surrogate who is not as well known as surrogates like President Obama, Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden. I would love more information about Melissa Mark-Viverito’s background such as where she comes from and her specific stances. You claim she uses ethos effectively. Do you think that she could be even more effective in yielding her ethos if she uses more details like why the certain issues Clinton addresses appeal to her personally? Perhaps, if Mark-Viverito used a personal story and explained her views? I think this would strengthen her ethos by providing people an opportunity to relate and align with her. If people feel connected to her and see her as an authority on the issues based on experience, this should increase the likelihood that people will listen to her because of her strong ethos. In my opinion, transparency has great potential to enhances a person’s ethos as long as they have nothing to hide.