Thematic analysis of Hillary Clinton's Presidential Candidacy Announcement Speech

 Photo Credit: Clinton Campaign Social Media Page

One word to sum the speech? Populism. She wants to offer herself as an advocate for the poor, disadvantaged and downtrodden. She wants to bridge gaps and inequality in society.

How did she define herself personally: As a fighter and a champion for everyday people

What was remarkable about the speech? It was personal. This was Clinton speaking from her heart.


Here's a thematic breakdown of Clinton's presidential announcement speech:


History: invoking the memory of FDR

Paid tribute to Roosevelt, Clinton and Obama in a signal that she will carry on with their legacies or within their shadow. It's unfinished business.

"Four Freedoms are a testament to our nation’s unmatched aspirations and a reminder of our unfinished work at home and abroad."

Clearly sees her campaign as carrying on unfinished work from the Roosevelt order. This immediately tells us what kind of president she will be: focus on economic reform, progressive liberalism and an expanded role of the government for the good of all.  (activist government)

If you were wondering if she repudiated Obama's legacy or shied away from her husband's legacy, the clear answer is NO.


Shared Prosperity/Equality/Inclusion
There's a focus on equality and the need for government to intervene in order to pull the lower members of the society up the ladder. This theme is supported by the following quotes:

• "real and lasting prosperity must be built by all and shared by all.
• "President Roosevelt called on every American to do his or her part, and every American answered
• "It’s America’s basic bargain. If you do your part you ought to be able to get ahead. And when everybody does their part, America gets ahead too."
• "We’re still working our way back from a crisis that happened because time-tested values were replaced by false promises."
• It takes a village

Fighter/Fierce Advocate: Four fights


If you’ll give me the chance, I’ll wage and win Four Fights for you.

"The first is to make the economy work for everyday Americans, not just those at the top."
"Now, the second fight is to strengthen America’s families, because when our families are strong, America is strong."
"So we have a third fight: to harness all of America’s power, smarts, and values to maintain our leadership for peace, security, and prosperity."

Republican Jabs

• Repudiation of trickle down economics:

"You see corporations making record profits, with CEOs making record pay, but your paychecks have barely budged."

• Repudiation of the style of governance and current candidates:

"Now, there may be some new voices in the presidential Republican choir, but they’re all singing the same old song…"

On Climate Change: "... they’ll say: “I’m not a scientist.” Well, then, why don’t they start listening to those who are?"

• Knocked them on Wall street reform, health care, immigration and marriage rights

Values

• Inclusion:

"I believe that success isn’t measured by how much the wealthiest Americans have, but by how many children climb out of poverty…"

• Lifelong commitment to helping the poor and disadvantaged:

"My first job out of law school was for the Children’s Defense Fund. I walked door-to-door to find out how many children with disabilities couldn’t go to school, and to help build the case for a law guaranteeing them access to education."

American Exeptionalism

"No other country on Earth is better positioned to thrive in the 21^st century. No other country is better equipped to meet traditional threats from countries like Russia, North Korea, and Iran – and to deal with the rise of new powers like China."

"There’s so much that works in America. For every problem we face, someone somewhere in America is solving it. Silicon Valley cracked the code on sharing and scaling a while ago."

"People all over the world have asked me: “How could you and President Obama work together after you fought so hard against each other in that long campaign? Now, that is an understandable question considering that in many places, if you lose an election you could get imprisoned or exiled – even killed – not hired as Secretary of State.But President Obama asked me to serve, and I accepted because we both love our country. That’s how we do it in America."

"At our best, that's what Americans do. We're problem solvers, not deniers. We don't hide from change, we harness it."

 

Age and Gender

"Well, I may not be the youngest candidate in this race. But I will be the youngest woman President in the history of the United States!

|"And along the way, I’ll just let you in on this little secret. I won’t get everything right. Lord knows I’ve made my share of mistakes. Well, there’s no shortage of people pointing them out!"

 Inspiration

"The story of America is a story of hard-fought, hard-won progress. And it continues today. New chapters are being written by men and women who believe that all of us – not just some, but all – should have the chance to live up to our God-given potential.

An America where a father can tell his daughter: yes, you can be anything you want to be. Even President of the United States."

Leadership style: not  a quitter, fighter, learns from mistakes.