AOW 18

Revenge of theAloof

TIME Magazine

Joe Klein (author)

Longtime Washington D.C. and New York writer, Klein is not only the author of several award winning books such as Primary Colors and Politics Lost, but also has also written articles and book reviews for The New Republic, The New York Times, TIME, and more. He is currently of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Summary

Perhaps the most recent, and followed, news is the upcoming 2012 election. TIME magazine relays news, and this article is about the recent craze about politician Mit Romney, who is hoping to become the next republican candidate. Despite his recent rise in fame and popularity, Klein doesn't seem convinced. He points out that Romney is an elitist, "clunky" when it comes to his campaign, inable to deliver even the most basic statements without a teleprompter, and not nearly as qualified as his recent success has made him out to be.

Analysis:

As stated above, the context is the presidential craze that has begun to sweep the country. The audience, anyone who reads TIME magazine, is just the type of educated and involved group that would  be interested in following the campaigns of the candidates. Whether the purpose of the piece was to sway the audience one way or the other is not clear, as viable alternative to Romney is offered. Despite rather strong language the tone of the writing seemed objective, merely pushing the flaws of the new campaign rather than solely the candidate (this point is actually reiterated by the magazine in many of the following articles... the magazine seems unhappy with the turnout of the primaries)

Rhetorical Devices:

Diction: While this seems to be a common device, in this piece it was utilized extraordinarily (and comically) to emphasize the author's purpose. For example, when describing Romney's public speaking abilities, or lack of, Klein describes his speeches as a "stump speech, a dreadful agglomeration of political cliches".

Citations (logos): Although this writer does not need to build credibility (the magazine says it all) he uses the knowledge that his audience is made of independent and intelligent readers who can make their own conclusions, conclusions he drives them to make with selected soundbytes from the candidates campaign. Through these particular references Romney is represented as arrogant, elite, and a man who greatly lacks finesse.

Prediction: After all the harsh language, Klein finishes with a softer yet condescending tone, where he claims he has "a certain sypathy" for the floundering candidate. One begins to wonder why, which is when the article swiftly concludes with an entirely confident prediction about the upcoming election, and a joke: "Gentlemen, start your teleprompters!"