Rhetorical Analysis Of John Kasich's South Carolina Primary Speech

John Kasich the man who help pull America out of debt during his time as chairman to the House Budget Committee during president Bill Clinton’s time in office. Today he is the governor of Ohio and is running for the republican nomination. Kasich has had a tough journey, he started as one of the least popular republican candidates, and now he is a forerunner. After his second place victory in New Hampshire Primary, Kasich was off to South Carolina to persuade voters. Kasich uses rhetorical strategies in his South Carolina Primary speech to rally his constituents.
John Kasich use the rhetorical strategies logos to establish his credibility. His entire speech is aimed at motivating his constituents, and to establish more credibility. He establishes his credibility when he describes his journey from the bottom to the forerunners. He uses logos to show his victory over Donald Trump in “Dixville Notch with 60 percent of the

vote.” This statistic elevates Kasich’s credibility, because it shows his success can rival Trumps. It also shows voters that Kasich is no longer an underdog and his goal is to be the Republican Nominee. The shocking part about his victory is Kasich only spent 500,000 dollars. He uses logos to explain his spending and the copious amount of spending by his running mates, when he said, “Millions of dollars spent by everybody else and a big chunk of it. To hammer me.” This is a true statement, which helps solidify his credibility. It also, shows the people of the U.S that he has spent relatively little money compared to other candidates. This aspect may seem less important, but to some voters it could be the difference.
Kasich uses logos to gain credibility, but he also uses ethos. He uses ethos when he states, “America was never built great because who was on top, America has been built great because who’s at the foundation.” When Kasich says this statement it allows the listener to understand his objective, and view of the American society. He uses ethos again when he compliments the Bush family and says, “they’re the best, give them a round of applause.” This shows the listener that Kasich is a genuine person, and he has companion. This geniality and compassion builds upon his credibility, because it is part of what he preaches. Lastly, Kasich gains credibility by name dropping Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Richard Dreyfuss. Both of this men are famous, and people have respect for them. This respect is then reciprocated towards Kasich, which helps build his credibility.
This speech has a bit of an emotional effect because Kasich uses pathos.

When Kasich explains his financial circumstances at the beginning of his campaign he said, “we got a lot of money out of a lot of piggy banks.” This touches on peoples emotions, because many people have had piggy banks while growing up, and it also emphasis the amount of work Kasich devoted to accomplish what he has today. Kasich also, uses the pronoun we to a great extent throughout the essay. He could of used the pronoun I, but it doesn’t have the same effect as we. The pronoun we has a sense of coming together as a whole. This touches on peoples emotions, because it makes them feel part of a greater good and part of something that is bigger than themselves. Lastly, Kasich ends on an appeal to pathos when he says, “people look forward to the rest of this century for their children and their grandchildren.” This touches the emotions of the older generations, because they envision a prosperous America, and their kids and grandchildren are the recipients of this new

America.
Kasich uses rhetorical strategies in his speech during the South Carolina Primary. He uses logos to create a sense of credibility through accurate facts. He uses ethos to create a sense of credibility, by stating his view and opinion, showing his respect, and by affiliating himself with select celebrities. He uses pathos to create an emotional connection with his constituents and listens, that will stick with them and make the speech memorable. Kasich’s mastery of the three rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos helped him create a meaningful and impactful speech.