Governor Douglas' use of rhetorical device in speech is so consistent it's possible to predict what he will say. After six years of nearly daily presence in the press, even an untrained ear can recognize the governor's most common catch-phrases and the specific words he often uses to begin a a response to a question or or issue.
On Tuesday, the Vermont Business Magazine reported a favorable outlook on the economy in Chittenden County. The report is titled, Burlington Job Market Expected to be Among Strongest in Nation.
If the Governor's Office responds to this good news, it's not difficult to imagine an approximation of what he might say. Below the fold, I offer the following:
- a three sentence example of Douglas praise such as we might expect in response to the VBM report;
- the rhetorical device framing Douglas' speech; and
- why it's important to learn the definition of “anaphora.”
A recent Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (issued quarterly) reports:
“From January to March, 25% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 7% expect to reduce their payrolls,” according to Manpower spokesperson Amanda Niklaus. “Another 62% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 6% are not certain of their hiring plans.”
That's really great news for Vermont, considering the huge negative impact of the financial crisis across the nation. Even small growth in early 2009 is an indicator that Vermont may have some insulation from the overall economy, just as we had last year during the housing meltdown. Assuming the local press or the Governor's office picks up the news, my first prediction is that he will comment on it in one way or another. Here's an approximation of what he is likely to say:
I'm proud of the fact that Vermont businesses and our overall economy remain in good shape relative to the rest of the country as we continue our long tradition of hard work and innovation in the private sector. I applaud the companies that are bringing new jobs to Chittenden County at a time when we need it most, and I see this as part of my administration's economic initiatives such as our designation of the Green Triangle between Burlington, Middlebury and Montpelier. I think all Vermonters should be reassured by this news as a good indicator that we will be relatively sheltered from the financial crisis as we make progress toward new opportunities for businesses that will help bring revenue to next year's general fund.
No matter what he says, the catch-phrases highlighted below will inevitably be tossed into the mix in one arrangement or another. Over the last six years the repitition of these phrases seem to have become ingrained in the muscle-memory of our governor's tounge. In fact, the use of these phrases and the constant repitition over the last six years are an intentional use of a rhetorical device, such as the kind one might learn in a Dale Carnegie two-day seminar on Public Speaking Mastery.
The rhetorical device Douglas applies consistently in his speech and written press releases is called “anaphora,” defined as follows:
Anaphora: the repitition of the same words at the beginning of successive sentences.
You've heard them before:
I applaud…
I'm proud of…
I think Vermonters…
Douglas has consistently used these three phrases in combination with a sprinkling of others (below) that I can't recall him going through a single speech or interview without using at least one of the above. If he uses only one of these catch-phrases, it's most likely because he's not talking at any considerable length.
You don't need to know the word “anaphora” to notice Douglas' use of this verbal device over the last six years. In fact, you can Google the catch-phrases to see the plethora of results. If you click through the first 5-10 pages of search results you'll get a sense of the scope of how often our governor applies even one of several key catch-phrases.
Here are three Google search examples.
- “Jim Douglas” “I applaud”
- Vermont Douglas” “I'm proud”
- Vermont Douglas “work hard”
…and this is just a Google search. Years from now a Masters level English major may write his/her post-graduate thesis on Douglas' superfluous use of anaphora by sifting through the State's archives of public records. It would be a very long thesis.
Who needs to know?
- Reporters probably already know, but sometimes a reminder is helpful. Vermont's professional reporters are pretty savvy, but they have deadlines to meet and are often pressed for an opportunity to ask follow up questions.
- Democrats in Legislature and future candidates. It might be helpful to follow the master. Sign up for the Dale Carnegie session and fight rhetoric with rhetoric.
- The rest of us. Just so we see it when it's coming. If we're luckyenough to predict Douglas' next response we can take the wind out of his sails.
Why is this important?
There are three reasons why Jim Douglas' use of anaphora have proven highly effective over time. Each reason alone is significant. When we look at all three reasons together, it's easy to see how Jim Douglas keeps winning elections, despite the fact few if any accomplishments are of his own making. Here's why.
1. First and most obvious, Douglas uses rhetorical device because it works. 30 seconds after you hear him say something like the first sentence in my quote prediction above, “I'm proud of blah, blah, blah…,” all you can remember is the first few words. The sentence is long and generalized. When speaking, Douglas' emphasizes the introductory catch-phrase, then shifts into a hypnotic monotone voice. By the time he's finished his first sentence, all you can remeber is, “Jim Douglas is proud of Vermont businesses.” By the time he's done with the paragraph, it's time to move to the Q&A or photo-op. The device works because achievement becomes secondary to Douglas' identiy. This leads into reason #2….
2. The use of anaphora gives Douglas credit for whatever acheivement he's praising. The most common catch-phrase anaphora's begin with the word, “I.” This creates a strong association between himself and thesuccess he's delivering. “I'm proud of Vermont's farming tradition…” or, “I applaud the hard work of Vermonters….” The rhetorical device simultaneously offers gratitude and connects Douglas' identity with the success story. It allows him to co-opt the story as if he's responsible making it happen. Additionally, he's sending a message that Jim Douglas is a likeable guy because he appreciates who we are and what we do. This leads in to #3….
3. The use of anaphora allows Douglas to evade the issue. First, since he emphasizes the first few words in his response, then simply fills in the remainder with a generalized abstraction about the issue in a monotone voice, it's easy to become lulled into thinking he answered the question when in fact he's offered little information in all of the fluff. While he appears to be seriously engaged in the dialogue, he's actually just rephrasing the question within the framework of the anaphora rhetorical device. At the same time, Douglas consumes 3-5 minutes responding to a single question. By the time he's finished, it's time to move to the next question. If Douglas is sitting through a half-hour interview, the reportr will be lucky to ask 3 follow up questions, just given the lack of time.
Jim Douglas' formula is boiled down to this:
Use anaphora #1, associate with the good news, then fill in the rest of the comment with catch-phrases and vague references to the specific issue. Follow with anaphora #2 and repeat. Continue as necessary.
Conversely, if the news is bad or if he's on the attack:
Use anaphora #1, disassociate with the bad news or, most often, Legislature, then fill in the rest with catch-phrases, slogans, and vague references to imminent doom. Follow with anaphora #2 and repeat. Etc.
Here are some catch-phrases to watch for. Douglas sprinkles them in with the anaphora lead-in.
“Hard work…” or “Work hard…”
“The progress we've made…” or “the steps we have taken…”
“Our long tradition…” or “Vermont's long tradition…”
“Safe and affordable…” or “Safe and reliable…” or “Safe and…”
Ok, if you've made it this far you deserve a chuckle. Here's Jim Douglas using the same rhetorical device with a huge, unintended twist of comic irony:
“I applaud the spirit of any young Vermonter who sprints back and forth from a warm shanty to bait a hook,” Gov. Douglas said.
Three months before we discovered that Governor Jim Douglas can't bait his own hook, he was out applauding others who could.
Mabye he should have said, “Wow! I wish I could do that!”