The Peculiar Character of Political Speech

Political rhetoric is concerned with formulating and communicating an argument for a particular claim presented to a particular audience at a particular time. Unfortunately, a lot of political communication lacks an argument and this is why most people pay little attention to it. What’s more, political strategists have over-promoted the character of leaders and parties, but without a specific audience in mind, politicians end up either presenting themselves as all things to all people or as nothing in particular. A prerequisite of turning around the reputation of politics and politicians is conviction – knowing what your position is, knowing how and why it is different from others’ positions and being sure of why you hold it.