Rhet an.

I would like to make a rhetorical analysis of a funny clip that satirizes political figures and talks about the 2008 Presidential Election. The creators of this cartoon call themselves Jibjab, a seemingly nonpartisan group that focuses their cartoons mainly around political figures and events. Their audience can be anybody who watches clips but it probably attracts an audience that is essentially younger than most folks or anybody interested in politics. The clip I am talking about is one that shows the craziness of how the election unfolded. The clip is given the title, It’s Time for some Campaignin’”; it is sort of a musical clip sung in the tune of a Bob Dylan song.
The first part of the clip shows the White House all packed away in boxes, showing that the President’s Term is coming to an end. The former President of the United States, George W. Bush, is shown talking about how his Presidency is coming to an in. He talks about all the terrible things that have come about at the end of his second term and how he has become an unpopular president. He tries to draw support for the Republican candidate, John McCain, even though he is a moderate and ran against Bush in the 2000 Republican Primary. Bush and other members of the Republican Party come out at the end singing the title of the song.
The next section of the clip shows Hillary Clinton as she sings about her bitter battle against Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic Primary. It shows that her quest for the presidency has come to an end and she is conceding to Obama. It shows Hillary throwing away “dirty tricks” (aka Tactics used against Obama in the primary). The trash can of “dirty tricks” contains a picture of Barack Obama with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, showing that Hillary was trying to associate Obama with a man with extremist views. It also has an alarm clock with the time showing 3:00 a.m symbolizing her argument that she would be better at answering an emergency call at 3 a.m. than Obama. Among other things in the trash can is a picture of Barack Obama with a turban on his head which symbolizes the cruel speculation that he was a muslim. The clip then shows her and her husband, Bill, supporting the Obama campaign but then shows Hillary with a 2012 campaign sign signaling that she is not giving up her presidential aspirations just yet. She and the rest of her campaign staff, some of which campaigned for Clinton in 1992, are seen singing the title of the song at the end of the segment.
The next segment of the clip depicts Senator John McCain as being an expert on foreign policy asking for help from conservatives (him bring a moderate). He warns that Barack Obama would have a very liberal foreign policy as he runs him over with a tank. He is then shown cooped up in a cage showing his P.O.W. stance in the Vietnam War. He asks that everyone forget about his age as well as his physical ailments; this prompts a group of senior citizens from a nursing home to sing the title of the song with him at the end of the segment.
The next segment depicts Barack Obama’s view of the election. It is set in a peaceful, rustic area where Obama is playing with the woodland creatures. It show s then-Senator Obama of having a sensitive side and liberal views on a lot of subjects. In the segment, Obama sings about how his campaign’s theme is based solely around change and only change. He is depicted as being obsessed with change as he prances around and even rides a unicorn over a eainbow. John McCain and Hillary Clinton jump in and sing to bring this point of obsession home but Obama steps in and literally knocks Hillary Clinton out of the picture(symbolizing his victory in the primary over her) as he and McCain sing the title of the song together at the end.
The next clip shows people with campaign signs in the hands marching on. In the background are famous buildings in the U.S. claiming symbolizing the many American voters that vote in every part of the country. They are shown walking behind the two candidates, McCain and Obama, who are each holding up their campaign signs respectively. They show all the positive effects of electing them atop newspapers; it shows things such as universal healthcare, tax cuts, as well as many other things. This, in turn, symbolizes the promises the candidates made during the campaigning process. The segment goes on to show the candidate both throwing around which shows how expensive elections and campaigns can be. It then shows a citizen going to a booth and casting his vote. Uncle Sam then appears spinning him around and knocking him down showing how candidates do not always keep their election promises. The segment, as well as the entire clip, ends with a group of people singing the title of the song together.
This clip, in my opinion depicts a lot of what transpired in the ’08 campaign in humorous fashion. It was directed at an audience of the American People who have seen the election being covered all over the news and other media outlets. The creators of this clip want to show the grueling process of primaries and general elections and what can come out of such competitions. While the election may be over, this clip can show that anything can happen in an election and there is no limit to the possibilities. It could be used as an example for other events such as elections and show what wacky happenings can result from them. The clip such as the one I mentioned and completely dissected and analyzed makes the argument that important events such as presidential elections can be satirized and jokingly expressed through song. That, in my mind, is what the people who made this clip were trying to do.


If you want, you can view this on youtube or any other video website that provides this clip.