Analyzing campaign speeches of three presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain, reveals interesting stylistic differences and some commonalities.

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ALL THREE CANDIDATES ARE CAREFUL TO AVOID THE GOBBLEDYGOOK THAT SO OFTEN CREEPS INTO POLITICAL DIALOGUE. THEY USE ACTIVE RATHER THAN PASSIVE SENTENCE CONSTRUCTIONS.

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Clinton uses the greatest number of "humanizing" words in her speeches. References to "heart" and "voice" recur throughout her speeches in passages, such as "I come tonight with a very, very full heart," "I found my own voice," and "…we all spoke from our hearts." The "voice" metaphor morphs into "people who whisper to me" and "I will bring the voices of the American people back to the White House." At one point, she even says, "It’s enough to make you want to burst out in song."

McCain also injects a human element with frequent references to "eight years among friends" and "…never just fair-weather friends." Obama refers to people themselves, frequently mentioning his extended family, including his father, mother, wife, daughters, and even grandfather in one speech.

The notion of duty comes through clearly in McCain’s word selection. Phrases such as "an obligation…which I will faithfully discharge" is in the speech he gave after winning the South Carolina primary along with "…sublime honor that has been the treasure of my life." McCain’s speeches invoke the twin notions of responsibility and public service.

Obama is inclined to use the pronoun, "we" rather than "I." Clinton and McCain use "I" quite regularly, imparting a sense of the president as an individual rather than an office.

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Is anyone else as amazed as I am that people are admitting without shame that they didn’t know what they were agreeing to when they signed their mortgage note? The fact that closing documents are so universally acknowledged to be incomprehensible has sanctioned financial irresponsibility.

All over the nation, people are walking away from their homes and mortgage obligations. When asked why they didn’t foresee adjustable rates moving up and requiring higher monthly payments, they all say that they didn’t understand the documents they signed to get the mortgage. While stunned by the cavalier attitude of the borrowers, I’m equally amazed by the lenders who seem to acknowledge that the borrowers couldn’t have been expected to understand what they were signing.

Have legalese and the confusion it engenders moved from being a nuisance to an economic cataclysm? After all, “small print” exists in large quantity. Do you understand your health insurance policy? Your credit card agreement? Your homeowners’ policy?

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A 2007 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONERS (NAIC) SURVEY REVEALED THAT ONE-THIRD TO ONE-HALF OF HOMEOWNERS’ INSURANCE POLICYHOLDERS WERE MISINFORMED ABOUT WHAT PERILS ARE COVERED BY THEIR POLICIES AND HOW MUCH THEY MIGHT RECEIVE IF THEY MADE A CLAIM.

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We shouldn’t be surprised. Policies are lengthy legal documents constructed with boilerplate language that is then modified with numerous notices and endorsements.

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WSJ Online quotes Alan Siegel on Starbucks Return to a Retro Logo

All the fuss over Starbucks return to the retro mermaid on the coffee cup. Is it revolution or brand dilution? Personally, I think it is more a tactic to get attention or to divert attention from other things. I don’t think it has anything to do with the coffee cups, folks!

From finger pointing to fist pumps, how nonverbal cues brand the candidates

Adweek: The Body Politic

-By David Wallis

In a recent skit on YouTube, Hillary Clinton impersonator Rosemary Watson portrays the presidential hopeful alone in an Iowa hotel room, rehearsing an upcoming speech. “New hand gestures, Iowa. Take one,” announces faux Hillary, dressed in a white terry cloth robe.

“Helloooo pig farmers,” she bellows in a nasal Midwestern accent, before verbally and visually running through a gamut of gestures. “And I begin to hammer on healthcare,” she says, pummeling the air with clenched fists.

“I do a smoothing motion on middle class taxes, palms down,” she says, while looking like she’s practicing the breaststroke. “I enumerate the flaws of my opponent with a crooked finger,” she concludes, turning her body sideways to face an invisible rival while repeating an admonitory gesture.

Though the real Clinton has studied stagecraft with a high-priced media coach — as have many current and former candidates — and often animates speeches with an array of nods, waves and karate chops, she probably does not choreograph every move she makes. Yet, like most successful politicians, Clinton understands the power of body language: Hand motions, facial gestures and posture all can enhance or undermine a campaign’s message, shape public perception of a politician and profoundly influence an audience of voters — whether the voters know it or not. In today’s media marketplace, the practiced smile and the sly smirk, the hearty salute and the triumphant double thumbs-up are the political equivalent of product packaging.

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