Rhetoric and the Bernie Sanders Revolution
By Avery C. Bauer | April 11, 2016
“… Sanders stump speech follows a basic formula. First, he introduces a binary (such as big banks versus the average citizen, or the party establishment versus the outsider). He then emphasizes that said binary represents a moral dichotomy (big banks are morally bad, the little guy is morally good). He then frames the morally deficient side of the binary as the enemy, and proceeds to emphasize the threat presented by this enemy, frequently using fear-based language to build anxiety and anger. He proceeds to link this enemy to his opponent, even when the connections are tenuous. At the same time, he places himself in the center of the binary, battling the enemy to protect the morally pure victim. He builds a personal narrative that creates the impression that he has always fought for the morally pure side of this binary, only to fail due to the pervasive corruption of the entire political system. He concludes by arguing that he can only successfully defend the morally pure side of this binary by garnering the support of the population and creating a political revolution that operates independent of the political establishment.
This stump speech uses three rhetorical techniques that I find particularly frustrating in politics in general:
1) Binary thinking
2) Fear-based language
3) Unilateral change independent of legislative, executive, and judicial branches…”
http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/empty-rhetoric-and-the-bernie-sanders-revolution/24442/
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