Rhetoric and Logic

During the election process, President Obama established a reputation as a rhetorician. The strength of his words and convictions were considered his strengths; such attributes appeared attractive as a President. However, it seems that the quality of his so-called rhetoric is not as clear-cut as previously believed: the "pick yourself up, dust yourself off" part of President Obama's inauguration speech did not scale to new rhetorical heights.

But there is more bothering us than simply a pop-culture reference to a film from the 1929 Depression. This is an Administration which claimed to be based on hope and clarity; President Obama was taken by the majority of citizens to be a clear-headed, forthright man. At the same time, he represented a visible minority taking a high elected office for the first time.

President Obama was, and apparently still is, on the golden pedestal. Even political cartoonists, ever the vicious bunch, are feeling squeamish about their caricatures of the new President. If this Administration is intent on bringing 'change' to the Government, the President leading this change should not be beyond reproach.

Our thoughts came to a head with this article from the Asssociated Press. Mr. Rick Santelli, CNBC, called President Obama's mortgage bailout onto the carpet. He said, and we fully agree, that the bailout will "promote bad behavior." Forcing responsible citizens to pay for the excesses of the irresponsible is madness, to say the least.

The response from the White House was certainly not the best: Mr. Robert Gibbs, press secretary, said "...People [ranting] on cable television [should] be responsible and understand what it is they’re talking about [I]... feel assured that Mr. Santelli doesn't know what he's talking about."

That, Mr. Gibbs, is argumentum ad hominem, a logical fallacy, and not a counter to the very valid point of the recklessness of the mortgage bailout. To have such horrible rhetoric used in the defence of President Obama -- a man who prides himself on his rhetoric -- is not the high road, to say the least.