Post # 12 - Ethos - Sarah Palin

In the Vice Presidential election, each representative or candidate was asked the question, "What promises, given the events of the week, the bailout plan, have your campaigns made to the American people that you are not going to be able to keep?" Both Vice Presidents used different tactics or strategies in rhetorical skills to attempt to persuade the audience. They used different methods to reach the people in a variety of ways. Using different appeals such as logos, pathos, and ethos, each Vice President is effectively arguing or debating their opinions and beliefs.

After Joe Biden's response, Sarah Palin opens up here argument by saying, "The nice thing about running with John McCain is that he does not tell one thing to one group and then turn around and tell something different to another group." By opening with the statement, Sarah Palin is able to effectively give credibility to John McCain using an etho. It is a rhetorical appeal that provides John McCain with credibility that he is responsible as a potential President. It presents him as an authoritve figure that can be trusted.

After speaking about John McCain, Sarah Palin uses a different approach and talks of herself. She once again uses ethos by noting about the energy plan, "You know what I had to do in the state of Alaska? I had to take on those oil companies and tell them that their mode of operation was wrong and that it was not going to continue." By providing the audience with this information, she is establishing herself as a very powerful figure who has a lot of control and authority. By using this ethical approach, the speaker's character is persuading, for she shows what she has accomplished at a position already as a leader. She's showing that she is very capable of being in a position at a level of high authority and control.

Additionally, Sarah Palin makes more statements of herself that shows the goodwill of her character. She furthermore presents information by quoting, "What I had to do was break up monopoly and say that the people are going to come first and make sure we have value given to the people. This can be considered an etho because she speaks of the goodwill she has a person but it may also be interpreted as a patho. It may be considered a patho statement because it also applies to emotion, for it directly relates to the people and it is a subject that the audience can easily relate to.

Finally, Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin uses ethos to wrap up her main points. She says, "I had to turn around those tax breaks as a governor of an energy producing state, which is my own expertise (energy)." She is showing that she is very experienced in the area of energy conservation, which is very important for she able to have even more credibility as a leader. Palin then claims, "I do not believe that John McCain has made any promise that he would not be able to keep either." This is a very bold statement that is an etho, for she is showing the reliability and trustworthiness that John McCain has as a potential President. It puts him in a very high position with a great amount of authority and control. Through Sarah Palin's Vice Presidential debate, there are various examples of ethos that she used to attempt to persuade and convince her audience.