Barack Obama: "You" Versus "I"

The slogan on Barack Obama's web site reads: "I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...I'm asking you to believe in yours."

Two articles yesterday commented on Barack Obama's rhetoric, specifically having to do with verbal focus: Self- or other-directed, exclusive or inclusive, "I" or "you"?

Caroline Winter, filling in for the venerable William Safire, wrote a piece in The New York Times Magazine, about capitalization of pronouns, but departed from her discussion of punctuation to discuss usage. She noted that the use of "I" implies self-inflation and that, "on the last day of voting...of the primary season" Hillary Clinton said "I" 64 times, John McCain, 60 times, and Barack Obama 30 times; and that Obama counterbalanced his use of "I" with 37 instances of "we" and 16 instances of "you."

This is entirely consistent with Obama's intentional word choice first spotted by The New Yorker last November: "Obama now tries to make a more personal connection with voters. In the past, he has been accused of making his campaign more about himself than about those who come to his rallies. Now the word 'you' is mentioned as much as the word 'I.'"

The strategy paid off. In what most political analysts agree was the turning point in the primary campaign, the Iowa Caucuses, Obama won with 37.6% of the vote, while Clinton placed third with at 29.5%. On Election night, after the final results were in, Obama and Clinton spoke at their campaign headquarters. Each of them spoke for about the same length of time; yet each differed significantly in their focus. In Clinton's concession speech, she said 'you" 17 times, and "I" 35 times, while Obama said "you" or variations of "you" 26 times, and "I," only ten times.

In 2006, George Will, the noted conservative columnist, crossed party lines to recommend that Obama run for the presidency by noting that Obama shared certain key qualities with Ronald Reagan. The Republican writer praised the Democratic politician: "For a nation with jangled nerves, and repelled by political snarling, he offers a tone of sweet reasonableness. But yesterday, Mr. Will returned to form. Writing in The Washington Post, he said, "Obama should be told: Enough, already, with the we-are-who-we-have-been-waiting-for rhetorical cotton candy that elevates narcissism to a political philosophy."

"We" is actually a combination of "I" and "you," and "you" works.

Comments

[harriscrl3]

I must have read this wrong because I didnt think this was about grammar it was more about whether voter felt included as part of the process verses whether it was more of a personal ambition for the politician.

Carol

[Sparhawk]

It's a strategy...include "we" more than "I" makes people think that they really matter. Don't forget, he's a Politician, just like all the others inside the beltway...They have only one interest - themselves

[ewoman]

"We," historically, also means the 'royal we' that many anti-imperialists cringe over. "I" and "you" are much better than "we," IMO. If McCain, for instance, used the word, "we," I would beg to be given leave from his entourage.

[Gma11]

Only "elites" use proper grammar, I guess . . .

[larry278]

Some of us who, from time to time, use proper grammar worked very hard to learn proper grammar. We also admire those who use English properly. One must study constantly by reading works which are written in proper English. It is no simple task to earn the title of elitist, effete, snob; but the title of elitist, effete, snob is an ample reward for hard work. The title induces us to keep our eyes on the prize. Senator Obama is no stranger to hard work. He is a striver.

[Charmed]

Oh my now Obama is to articulate....he's to popular, to skinny, to black, not black enough, not one sided enough...the list just goes on and on....

"We" say "we" on the Obama side for instance...."we" opened up a office her in NC, "we" decorated the office, "we" did phone banking, "we" went convassing, "we donate to his campaign. It's about "us" not Obama.

[PioneerKing]

It seems that it grates on some folks that Sen. Obama uses proper grammer.
McCain's buddies in the main stream media are just pissed that their addlepated nominee can not properly construct a sentence.

oops that's right black folks are not supposed to be articulate.