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Two Women for President: the Importance of the Announcement Speech on the Campaign

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Two Women for President: the Importance of the Announcement Speech on the Campaign Advancing Women in Leadership Vol. 32, pp. 107-122, 2012 Available online at http://advancingwomen.com/awl/awl_wordpress/ ISSN 1093-7099 Full Length Research Paper Two Women for President: The Importance of the Announcement Speech on the Campaign Rachel B. Friedman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Communication, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (386) 226-6628 (office) E-mail: [email protected] Nichola D. Gutgold, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences, Penn State Lehigh Valley 2809 Saucon Valley Road Center Valley, PA 18034-8447 610-285-5101 (office) E-mail: [email protected] Women keep gaining ground in the world of American politics. There are more women senators, representatives, Supreme Court justices, secretaries of state and governors than ever. Still, America has never had a female president or even vice president. By examining the communication skills of women who have run for president we can begin to assess how a woman creates ethos for the presidency. This study focuses on an understudied genre of campaign speaking; a comparison of two high profile female candidates’ announcement speeches from both respective political parties. How a woman reveals that she is a candidate for president is key to her success. The presidential announcements of Elizabeth Dole and Hillary Clinton are examined to consider what introductory communication traits may best serve the next woman who attempts to break the largest and seemingly toughest glass ceiling: the United States presidency. Keywords: women, politics, communication skills, campaign The Global Gender Gap Report, which Liswood, co-founder and senior advisor to examines data indicating the resources and the Council of Women World Leaders, status of women compared to men cautions that the United States is still throughout the world, showed encouraging catching up in the world. She said, “What is signs for women leaders in the United lagging is women’s presence at the highest States. For the first time ever, the United levels of power be it management of a States ranked in the top twenty in its 2010 business or head of state or government or report. Although a hopeful sign, Laura parliament.” America is simply not used to 107 seeing women as power figures in leadership In 1972, Democrat congresswoman Shirley roles. This is especially true of women who Chisholm was poised and determined have run for president in the United States. when she announced her decision to Thus, by examining the communication run for president. She said: skills of women who have run for president I stand before you today as a we can begin to assess how a woman creates candidate for the Democratic ethos for the presidency. Additionally, we nomination for the presidency of the will be examining a rather understudied United States of America. I am not genre of campaign speaking; a comparison the candidate of black America, of two very famous female candidates’ although I am black and proud. I am announcement speeches from both not the candidate of the women’s respective political parties. We argue that movement of this country, although I how a woman reveals that she is indeed a am a woman, and I am equally proud candidate for president is essential to her of that. I am not that candidate of success. any political bosses or fat cats or special interests. Anyone running for president has to make his or her candidacies known. Two of the True, that although Shirley Chisholm was most well-known women to make their “unbought and unbossed” –her campaign presidential aspirations known are Elizabeth slogan—she like Chase Smith--had the Dole and Hillary Clinton. Before Dole and burden of running a campaign that was seen Clinton, to consider two other well-known as a symbolic gesture. After her bid, Ms. women made their presidential intentions Chisholm conceded privately that she “had known and have perhaps paved a path for at least two strikes—her sex and her race— Dole and Clinton against her. The difference in 2000, and again in 2008, both Dole and Clinton were In 1964, the Republican U.S. senator from cast in the press as viable candidates. Maine, Margaret Chase Smith, announced The announcement speech of a candidate her bid by telling her audience that she was comes during what Trent and Friedenberg encouraged to run when she realized that: (2004) describe as the surfacing stage. I would be pioneering the way for a Surfacing is the first of four major stages of woman in the future—to make the a political campaign and note seven way easier—for her to be elected functions of surfacing: demonstrating president of the United States. candidates’ fitness for office; initialing Perhaps the point that has impressed political rituals; providing the public me the most on this argument is that opportunities to learn about the candidate; women before me pioneered and developing voter expectations about smoothed the way for me to be the candidates’ personal and administrative first woman to be elected to both the styles; determining main campaign issues; House and the Senate—and that I separating frontrunners from the rest of the should give back in return that which candidates and establishing candidate-media had been given to me. relationships. Trent and Friedenberg (2004) Her bid took her all the way to the also assert that: The content of the speeches convention. should serve four main purposes. First, candidates use the announcement address to indicate their intention to run for office. 108 Second, candidates try to discourage other is “good reasons” which vary in form potential candidates from running. Third, among communication situations, the candidate's speech should reveal why the genres, and media; candidate is running. Fourth, the candidate (3) The production and practice of uses the address to announce the basic good reasons are ruled by matters of themes of a campaign. history, biography, culture and character; (4) Rationality is determined by the Our goal is to examine both Dole’s and nature of persons as narrative Clinton’s political styles and messages to beings––their inherent awareness of help create understanding about women narrative probability, and their candidates in the early stages of their constant habit of testing narrative campaigns. As Erika Falk notes “the way fidelity, (whether the stories they the media portray the candidates at the experience ring true with the stories beginning of the campaign is particularly they know to be true in their lives); important to how the electorate form their and first impressions” (p. 220). This may be (5) The world is a set of stories even more crucial for women as presidential which must be chosen among to live the candidates; since there have been so few, the good life (p. 4) announcement of their candidacies are especially focused upon by voters discerning Although Elizabeth Dole does not current whether or not to take her seriously. While hold political office, or an appointment, she male candidates rarely need to wonder if has been an extremely popular female voters will take them seriously, women do. politician. Several Gallup polls in 1999 As Daniel J. Palazzolo and Sean M. suggested she was the strongest of the Theriault write: “Timing, location, the Republican candidates, challenging even people who appear with the candidate, and George W. Bush and coming out ahead of the content of the speech define the Steve Forbes. As history proves, she candidate's overall strategy” (p. 350). dropped out of the race for what she cites as a lack of funds to continue the campaign. The announcement speech, and the Nonetheless, she was a well-liked political subsequent media framing of it, are key to a figure. candidate’s success and since both women—Dole and Clinton—had to situate According to Brooks Jackson of CNN at the their candidacies into the presidential realm time of Dole’s presidential bid “Elizabeth for voters, we believe that Walter Fisher’s Dole will appeal to more conservative narrative paradigm is useful to apply to our women -- probably older women, more study here. While Fisher may not have been affluent suburban women, professional first to develop the study of narrative, he is women. Certainly Republican women.” the scholar who most developed the Schemo (1999) of The New York Times narrative paradigm “most fully in the speech suggested many people were happy to see a communication field.” Fisher’s (1984) five woman run even if they disagreed with some features of narrative paradigm include: of her politics. At the beginning of her (1) Humans are essentially presidential campaign in Iowa, CNN storytellers; suggested that Dole offered “Girl power -- (2) The paradigmatic mode of human the kind of raw enthusiasm that money can’t decision making and communication 109 buy and political professionals can't fake” political stage if they recognized and (p. A22). Several volunteers of the Dole adhered to the frameworks for political campaign in 1999 said: “It's a very big plus discourse which have been shaped by for me that she happens to be a woman on masculine intentions” (p. 341). It seems top of that. And I think that it's time that we Elizabeth Dole is better at adhering to this see a change in how certain things are male formula because she has several of the approached”… Iowa State University's qualities of a southern belle (which men Stefan Schmidt said: “She has incredible might find charming) and she also values the appeal to independent women, to some dominant conservative perspectives in women Democrats. There is excitement several ways (i.e. religion, abortion, the about the fact that she is the first person who death penalty, the war in Iraq, prayer in really could be the first woman president.” schools, etc).
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