Rhetorical Analysis of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama's 2012 Presidential Debate

In the Presidential Debate of 2012, presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama both explain their views and key aspects on taxes, oil/energy, and immigration by arguing and stating their opinions and ideas. However Barack Obama conveys his message more directly and thoroughly than Romney. Obama begins his argument on taxes saying that he wants to “relieve the middle classes,” of the increasing tax rates that are being placed upon them; as well as to “cut taxes for small businesses,” and allow them to grow and help our economy. Obama uses ethos and an allusion to refer to the time Bill Clinton was in office, and how the nation’s economy was high, there were more jobs, and that there was a “tax surplus,” the President uses this period as an example of what he wants our economy to become. Romney begins his argument on tax by saying that he also wants to bring tax rates down on middle income tax payers. As well as limit the higher classes and will not increase the spending of the middle classes. Romney uses pathos to appeal to the audience and focuses on the small business sector and how he will reduce the taxes to allow people to start up their own small business without really using foreign manufacturers. Although Romney replied to the topic properly, Obama had a more effective and direct argument to back up his statements. In the argument against oil/energy both Obama and Romney used pathos and logos effectively and managed to back up most of their arguments. Obama begins by saying that there has been an “increase in oil production to the highest levels in sixteen years,” along with employment rates associated with these increases. Then he goes on to talk about the outlook for the future of clean energy and to lower oil imports to avoid the major reliance on oil, coal, and natural gas. Obama’s plan is to keep using our current available resources, but to invest and take advantage of natural resources like wind, solar, and hydrogen power.