Acclaiming, Attacking and Defending in the 2012 Third American Presidential Debate

Abstract

Acclaiming, Attacking and Defending in the 2012 Third American Presidential Debate Debates are essential in presidential debates since they can help voters choose between competing candidates. This study employs the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse to examine acclaims, attacks and defenses in the 2012 third American presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The three functions of political campaign discourse, namely acclaiming, attacking, and defending address policy and character. The strategies used to elaborate acclaims, attacks, and defenses are also investigated. The study reveals that acclaims occur more frequently followed by attacks. Defenses are rarely used. Obama also uses the three functions of political campaign discourse more than Romney. Both candidates address policy more than character. Policy and character occur more in Obama's utterances than in to convince voters that they are preferable to opponents. The second assumption is "candidates must distinguish themselves from opponents" which means that candidates seek to distinguish themselves from their opponents so that voters will have a reason for preferring one candidate over another. The third assumption is "political campaign messages are important vehicles for distinguishing between candidates." Political campaign messages, including presidential debates, provide voters with information about the candidates' characters and policy stances. This information helps voters make their vote choice. The fourth assumption is "candidates establish preferability through acclaiming, attacking, and defending." For a candidate to secure enough votes, he/she must seem different from opponents in ways that will attract voters. Three functions of discourse help candidates appear preferable to opponents and thus appeal to voters. These are: acclaiming, attacking, and defending. The fifth assumption is "campaign discourse occurs on two topics: policy and character." In other words, candidates try to persuade voters that they are preferable to opponents in terms of policy and character. The final assumption is "a candidate must Extract (7) Obama: But what the American people understand is that I look at what we need to get done to keep the American people safe and to move our interests forward, and I make those decisions. In this extract, Obama talks about his decision to go after Osama bin Laden and bring all those who have done harm to American people to justice. He says that