How a nuanced president uses exaggeration. - By John Dickerson - Slate Magazine - 0 views
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Compared with the black-and-white approach of his predecessor, Obama's technique is practically grisaille.
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Ed Webb on 08 Apr 09Word of the day: grisaille
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What Obama hopes to do though this exaggerated description is make all criticism seem like an irrational rush to judgment.
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Obama is not alone. He probably exaggerates no more than a typical politician. Republicans haul out the specter of socialism on the hour, and on the half hour they say Obama wants to turn America into Europe. But Obama prides himself on considered speech, and few politicians have talked and written about improving political dialogue as much as he has. "I am convinced that whenever we exaggerate or … oversimplify or overstate our case, we lose," he wrote in his second book, The Audacity of Hope.He might be wrong about that one. According to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, Obama is as popular as ever. And his Republican opponents in Congress received their lowest approval rating in the entire span of history in which that question has been asked. No exaggeration.
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In the political science literature, this rhetorical technique is sometimes described as 'framing' or 'heresthetic': one owns the debate by defining its terms, establishing it on terrain favorable to one's own position. Obama can present the choice as one between action and inaction. Republicans can present it as between socialism and liberty. Whichever narrative becomes more broadly accepted will ultimately determine voter reaction to events and policies as they unfold.
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