The Hidden Messages Behind a Romney Ad
In 2008, Mitt Romney was one of the Republican candidates seeking the presidency, but failed to continue at an early stage. However, his political strategy for this 2012 Presidential Election is more planned than his past attempt to become President. This time around, his political advertisements tentatively give clues about his new political strategy. In order for Romney to become the Republican official nominee, he first needs to win various state caucuses and primaries. According to HowStuffWorks.com, caucuses are simply “the means for each political party to let voters nationwide select their party’s presidential nominee.” A piece of political advertisement paid for by Romney during a state caucus is designed to help the voter generalize the overall campaign approach Romney uses. This political advertisement supporting Mitt Romney appeals to logic though direct wording, Romney’s political image, and the audience’s emotional appeals.
In this piece of visual literature, Romney for President, Inc. uses various ways to convince voters that voting for Romney is logical. The advertisement uses an interesting psychological method that is described by Michael Shermer, writer for Scientific American magazine, as “Mere comprehension of a statement entails that tacit acceptance of its being true” (Shemer 36). The image states “Caucus for Mitt,” as signifying that the Caucus belongs to Romney. As explained by Shermer, anyone who first reads this statement will accept it as true, that Romney has already claimed himself as the winner by saying that the Caucus belongs to him. Furthermore, Romney is nothing else but original in his selection of text. He does not repeat any words, not even his name. This suggests that Romney is making his viewers interested in what is being said by stating everything only once and making them pay attention to what is being written.
In addition, one of the most important aspects that Romney communicates in this image is his ethos, his own integrity. Michael Shermer states that “we seem to accept appearances as reality until they prove otherwise.” Similarly, Romney gives voters the impression that he is a determined, fair candidate by the way he posed for the picture. He is portrayed in a retro sort of fashion with black and white ink, implying that he supports tradition and perhaps even the “old American values.” His posture can be described as attentive by raising his hand in mid-air and slightly opening his mouth as if saying something of deep importance to the nation. Other key points about the image that appeal to the viewers’ emotions are its selection of color. The background is completely dark, making Romney the central focus. Also, the main colors used are the American flag colors, which stir a sense of patriotism in the viewers. These give an impression of dedication, loyalty, innocence, and determination, which can easily convince someone that he characterizes all of these traits.
Moreover, the camera distance is very close to Romney, making him appear perhaps superior. The camera angle is lower than 180 degrees, giving him more importance as the viewer looks at him from a lower angle. One further attempt by Romney is his choice of clothing. He is wearing a tie, giving him a professional look. All of these features suggest what Shermer has described for us: that Romney is attempting to give voters a “good” first impression of him.
The last characteristic that can be analyzed from this image is Romney’s attempt to influence his voters’ values and emotions. When I say “his voters,” I simply mean that Romney has targeted this ad to be mostly seen by people who either belong to his political party or have conservative values. The main text appears in white, and it says, “America needs a conservative businessman.” Here, Romney is appealing to all Americans, conservatives, and businessmen. However, The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing by Ramage, Bean, and Johnson defines these approaches as fallacies, which can sometimes be difficult to recognize by someone who is voting for the first time. By using “America,” Romney is implying that all Americans need him, something that is defined as a “hasty generalization” (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 351). Also, the use of the word “conservatives” might suggest that all conservatives want him to be President; this can be clearly refuted by the fact that there are conservative voters voting for another candidate. While it is true that Romney had what can be described as a successful business career by leading a corporation, this does not imply that these skills can be used as President of the United States, something referred to as a “false analogy” (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 351).
Romney’s comeback in this tight 2012 Presidential Race has shown that he has learned from his mistakes in 2008. His political advertisement depicts the story of a candidate who has already named himself winner of this caucus. His strategies appeal to reason, his credibility as an upright candidate, and the voters’ emotions in order to convince voters to vote for him. As the elections get closer, it is a matter of time to see if these strategies had any effect.
Works Cited
How do Caucuses Work?. How Stuff Works. HowStuffWorks, Inc, n.d. Web 2 Sep. 2012
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing.
Boston; Pearson, 2012. Print
Shermer, Michael. “Adam’s Maxim and Spinoza’s Conjecture: Belief, disbelief and uncertainty
generate neural pathways in the brain.” Scientific American (March 2008):36. Print
In this piece of visual literature, Romney for President, Inc. uses various ways to convince voters that voting for Romney is logical. The advertisement uses an interesting psychological method that is described by Michael Shermer, writer for Scientific American magazine, as “Mere comprehension of a statement entails that tacit acceptance of its being true” (Shemer 36). The image states “Caucus for Mitt,” as signifying that the Caucus belongs to Romney. As explained by Shermer, anyone who first reads this statement will accept it as true, that Romney has already claimed himself as the winner by saying that the Caucus belongs to him. Furthermore, Romney is nothing else but original in his selection of text. He does not repeat any words, not even his name. This suggests that Romney is making his viewers interested in what is being said by stating everything only once and making them pay attention to what is being written.
In addition, one of the most important aspects that Romney communicates in this image is his ethos, his own integrity. Michael Shermer states that “we seem to accept appearances as reality until they prove otherwise.” Similarly, Romney gives voters the impression that he is a determined, fair candidate by the way he posed for the picture. He is portrayed in a retro sort of fashion with black and white ink, implying that he supports tradition and perhaps even the “old American values.” His posture can be described as attentive by raising his hand in mid-air and slightly opening his mouth as if saying something of deep importance to the nation. Other key points about the image that appeal to the viewers’ emotions are its selection of color. The background is completely dark, making Romney the central focus. Also, the main colors used are the American flag colors, which stir a sense of patriotism in the viewers. These give an impression of dedication, loyalty, innocence, and determination, which can easily convince someone that he characterizes all of these traits.
Moreover, the camera distance is very close to Romney, making him appear perhaps superior. The camera angle is lower than 180 degrees, giving him more importance as the viewer looks at him from a lower angle. One further attempt by Romney is his choice of clothing. He is wearing a tie, giving him a professional look. All of these features suggest what Shermer has described for us: that Romney is attempting to give voters a “good” first impression of him.
The last characteristic that can be analyzed from this image is Romney’s attempt to influence his voters’ values and emotions. When I say “his voters,” I simply mean that Romney has targeted this ad to be mostly seen by people who either belong to his political party or have conservative values. The main text appears in white, and it says, “America needs a conservative businessman.” Here, Romney is appealing to all Americans, conservatives, and businessmen. However, The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing by Ramage, Bean, and Johnson defines these approaches as fallacies, which can sometimes be difficult to recognize by someone who is voting for the first time. By using “America,” Romney is implying that all Americans need him, something that is defined as a “hasty generalization” (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 351). Also, the use of the word “conservatives” might suggest that all conservatives want him to be President; this can be clearly refuted by the fact that there are conservative voters voting for another candidate. While it is true that Romney had what can be described as a successful business career by leading a corporation, this does not imply that these skills can be used as President of the United States, something referred to as a “false analogy” (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 351).
Romney’s comeback in this tight 2012 Presidential Race has shown that he has learned from his mistakes in 2008. His political advertisement depicts the story of a candidate who has already named himself winner of this caucus. His strategies appeal to reason, his credibility as an upright candidate, and the voters’ emotions in order to convince voters to vote for him. As the elections get closer, it is a matter of time to see if these strategies had any effect.
Works Cited
How do Caucuses Work?. How Stuff Works. HowStuffWorks, Inc, n.d. Web 2 Sep. 2012
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing.
Boston; Pearson, 2012. Print
Shermer, Michael. “Adam’s Maxim and Spinoza’s Conjecture: Belief, disbelief and uncertainty
generate neural pathways in the brain.” Scientific American (March 2008):36. Print