Topic > The Use of Metaphors in Barack Obama's Campaign AD

This Obama campaign ad, “The Choice” is a political ad paid for by “Obama for America” and authorized by President Barack Obama for the 2012 presidential campaign This one-minute video was addressed to American voters about President Obama and US Governor Mitt Romney's plans for the betterment of our country. This political ad supported a few metaphors; Metaphors can be explained by George Lakoff and Mark Leonard Johnson in the book “Metaphors We Live By”, the authors explain that metaphors “are a fundamental mechanism of the mind, which allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other topics. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understanding of our experience, they are “metaphors we live by,” metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without us realizing it. “Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Obama's ethics were recognized in all of his accomplishments during his first term. However, the tone of this commercial seems to want to distance itself from all the political attacks launched by the other candidates and offer the public a simple, but important choice. The music and Obama's softer tone create a comforting connection for the audience. This is very effective when approaching voters.'In the next four months you will have a choice to make. (Slight pause) Not just between two political parties or even between two people. (Another brief pause) It's a choice between two very different plans for our country, President Obama says as he looks into the camera and sits in a chair in what appears to be a room in the White House. This is a metaphor that states that your choice is important and is necessary to decide the plans for the future of our country. The President's job is to make America safe. It can make decisions without your consent or that of Congress; above all, he acts as commander in chief. The two very different plans discussed by President Obama in this announcement are Governor Romney's and President Obama's income tax proposals. President Obama says that "Governor Romney's plan would cut taxes for the people at the top, lift regulations on big banks, and says if we do that our economy will grow and everyone will benefit." As the camera panned to the president , President Obama said, “But you know what? We tried this top-down approach. That's what caused the chaos in the first place. means Romney's plan to cut taxes for high-income families, known as the wealthy This metaphor means that the economic problems now occurring in our country are due to past policies that gave rise to the problem by presidents. previous decades ago, and Mitt Romney is trying to recreate the same plans. President Obama's choice of the term “we” establishes a connection between him and his audience. “I believe the only way to create an economy that's built to last is to strengthen the middle class. Ask the rich to pay a little more so we can repay our debt in a balanced way. So that we can afford to invest in education, manufacturing, and domestic American energy to create good middle-class jobs.” President Obama said as the video shows a clip of President Obama sitting in what appeared to be a middle class family while,.