in positioning a political or a political position more positively" and, therefore, in a manner more likely to convince voters to respond as desired (Larson, 1983, p. 258). During the recent Democratic presidential nomination campaign, the media came under intense criticism for its handling of Barack Obama with "kid-gloves" and its more aggressive attacks on Hillary Clinton.
Using language or rhetoric persuasively is one of the most effective persuasion strategies employed by politicians during political campaigns. Fatihi (2006) argues that "Competing political representatives of political parties engage intensely in mechanized and manipulated forms of language to identify and share the worldview of the electorate" (p. 4). When Barack Obama recently stated that small-town folks "cling to guns and religion" when politicians fail them, the electorat
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