Political Campaigns and Historical Narrative

All political campaigns engage in a type of political argument invoking great and historical political leaders. Ideally, the practice of storytelling can be gauged on a variety of elements. For instance, it involves emotional undertones, anxiety building communication, and sensory words designed to evoke the audience. President Barack Obama is an excellent example who often invoked the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. During his speech, Barack Obama articulated Mahatma Gandhi’s vision on equality, justice, and freedom.  Apart from Mahatma Gandhi, Barack Obama also invoked other leaders such as Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, and Nelson Mandela and shared their vision of freedom, equality, and democracy free from racial discrimination. The other political leader who invoked historical narratives of great past leaders is John McCain. John expressed his strong admiration of Theodore Roosevelt and often referred to his realist and idealist standpoints. John often recognized the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt in his speech and even in his writings. Although John McCain did not win his presidential bid, he managed to elicit influence on foreign policies as a representative, senator, and presidential candidate.