A Functional Analysis of 2008 and 2012 Presidential Candidacy Announcement Speeches

This study investigates messages in the surfacing phase of the presidential campaign, through a content analysis of presidential candidacy announcement speeches from the 2008 and 2012 elections. This study applied the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse to nine Democratic announcement speeches from 2008, 11 Republican announcement addresses from 2008, and 12 Republican announcement speeches from 2012. This work extends previous research on announcement speeches from 1960-2004 (Benoit, Henson, Whalen, & Pier, 2007). Overall, announcements from 2008 and 2012 used acclaims (75%) more than attacks (25%) or defenses (0.5%). The same announcements discussed policy more than character (58% to 42%); Democrats in 2008 discussed policy more, and character less, than Republicans in that campaign. General goals and ideals were used more often as the basis of acclaims than attacks in these speeches. These speeches were more negative (25% to 22% attacks) and discussed policy more (58% to 50%) and character less (42% to 50%) than past announcements. In 2008, Democratic speeches discussed Democratic issues more, and Republican issues less, than Republican speeches. Key Terms: presidential announcements, surfacing, functions, 2008, 2012, Democratic, Republican Introduction I‘m Newt Gingrich and I‘m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States because I believe we can return America to hope and opportunity, to full employment, to real security, to an American energy program, to a balanced budget. (Gingrich, 2011) And if you look at the record of spending under this President, he came in, sure he came in with a problem. And then in that hole that he was in, he kept digging and digging and digging. Now for every dollar we spend thanks to this President, forty cents is borrowed. Forty cents is going to be put on every man, woman, and child to pay the interest on for the rest of their lives. (Santorum, 2011) I've never introduced a bill in Washington, DC to emphasize heroin. So they take all of what I said and turn it around and say, he would legalize heroin. Well you know the plain truth is that heroin at one time in our history was legalized and there was essentially no abuse of it, and it's only in our recent history. I happen to have a personal real disgust with the abuse of drugs, 1 Benoit and Glantz: A Functional Analysis of 2008 and 2012 Presidential Candidacy Ann Published by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2013 Speaker & Gavel, 2013, 50 (1) 48 but it's all drugs, those that are considered illegal, and I think physicians prescribe way too much medications. (Paul, 2011) Although some scholars have argued that the contemporary U.S. political system operates in a perpetual campaign mode marked by continuous political jockeying, public opinion polling, and media speculation (Blumenthal, 1980), the campaign for America‘s highest office does not officially begin until candidates formally announce their intent to run for President. This occasion provides an opportunity to lay out a rationale for their candidacy. Trent (1994) has argued that it is important to study the communication that characterizes the surfacing stage of a campaign because it ―sets the scene for all that follows‖ and ―frequently determines what will happen in later stages‖ (p. 45). These speeches may not be watched by millions of voters, but the media and other candidates do pay attention: announcement speeches provide a public record of the beginning of a candidate‘s campaign. On April 17, 2006, former Alaska Democratic Senator Mike Gravel became the first person to formally announce his bid for the presidency in 2008. This announcement came 861 days before the Democratic Party was scheduled to hold their nominating convention in Denver in August of 2008. Sam Brownback, Senator from Kansas, announced his candidacy on January 20, 2007, becoming the first Republican to officially enter the race (590 days before his party‘s convention). On April 21, 2011, Gary Johnson was the first Republican to announce his candidacy for president, 494 days before the Republican Nominating Convention. Table 1 presents the formal announcement dates for candidates in the 2008 and 2012 primary campaigns. These announcements, and all those that followed, marked the first stages of the 2008 and 2012 primary campaign seasons. Table 1 Presidential Primary Announcement Speeches 2008 and 2012 Candidate Date Days before Convention Words 2008 Democrats Joe Biden 1/31/07 572 760 Hillary Clinton 1/20/07 583 1140 Chris Dodd 1/11/07 592 1119 John Edwards 12/28/06 637 4037 Mike Gravel 4/17/06 861 3827 Dennis Kucinich 12/12/06 622 2256 Barack Obama 2/10/07 562 2581 Bill Richardson 1/21/07 582 1444 Tom Vilsack 11/30/07 634 1268