Klobuchar Speaks Slyly

Amy Klobuchar is now the Senator for Minnesota, elected in November by a large margin. I think it is interesting what kind of person she really is. Last year, before she was elected she came to Macalester College to deliver a stump speech. I have analyzed the rhetoric of her stump speech to see how she will serve the constituents who elected her.

The southern half of the Olin-Rice lobby was veritably packed with people. Community members outnumbered students three to one. The elevated prestige of a state wide campaign was evident in the handful of volunteers convincing audience members to sign a release form for use of their image in a campaign ad. After a brief wait, Amy Klobuchar entered through the back to thunderous applause, shook hands and thanked people, and stood quietly next to the podium while an aid introduced her. Her speech contained lots of platitudes, plastic rhetoric, laugh lines, and homespun stories but also commented on issues like the war, health insurance, and the currently ubiquitous Washington corruption.

Near the end of her speech, Klobuchar brought up Mark Kennedy and his tendency to go negative in advertisements. Klobuchar claimed that while Kennedy might attack her, she would not attack him. She said that she would, however, defend and explain how Kennedy's advertisements were wrong.

It seems like negative advertisements are beneficial as long as you can twist your rhetoric into the appearance that you haven't "gone negative." In Klobuchar's most recent campaign ad, after saying that defending and explaining her actions, Klobuchar does go on the offensive. She looks boldly into the camera and says, "Mark Kennedy's been in Congress for six years, raising the debt and tilting the playing field against the Middle Class."

Despite this obvious contradiction, when Klobuchar declared that she would talk about the issues and not attack her opponent, their was plenty of applause and one elderly woman ejaculated, "that's right, Amy." It seems that Klobuchar in particular, and candidates in general, are acutely aware of the helpfulness of negative campaigning in repressing the turnout of their opponent's supporters but equally aware of the potential of scaring away moderate and leaning voters with partisan bickering. Klobuchar's style of preaching breached détente while slipping direct attacks into her rhetoric comes across as politically sly. The absence of press accusing her of her doublespeak acts as proof that her strategy is working.
Maybe the peopl of Minnesota are alright with a polished politician with little authenticity but I am not.