On Nixon's "Checkers" speech

Greetings….

As part of this exercise I chose Richard Nixon’s "Checkers" speech (Miller Center, 2009). If you remember, this was a speech in response to media reporting of a questionable funding. In this speech Nixon was attempting to persuade the Republican party members that he should stay on Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential ticket as Vice President. Throughout the speech, elements of Conger’s Multistep Model of Persuasion can be observed.

The first part of four of Conger’s model is establishing credibility. According to the text, Walker states that “credibility has two aspects: expertise and relationships” (Walker, 2015). This clip taken in isolation makes it difficult to judge expertise; however, Nixon does present the speech competently and with ethos. This helps to present and element of an expert politicians who has knowledge of the issues, and Nixon makes sure to associate himself with his running mate Eisenhower – relying on Eisenhower’s popularity to buttress his own. In addition, Nixon stimulates “goodwill,” which is a concept that includes a friendly disposition, cheerful acquaintance, and reputation (Walker, 2015). Through these means, Nixon establishes credibility.

Nixon helps to find common ground with his audience by mentioning his wife, his family, and his family dog Checkers – hence the name of the speech. There is even video of his wife, Pat, dressed properly to the day of that of a housewife. In addition, Nixon mentions how Pat was a stenographer who works on his campaigns free of charge.

Evidence is a hard case to make with this speech; however, he does establish that the fund was no secret stash and cites the accountant who handled the fund. As mentioned before, Nixon makes it clear that Eisenhower trusts him, by dropping his name several times. During those parts the speech turns into a campaign speech as Nixon praises Eisenhower, citing several top issues that have negatively affected many Americans including communism, the Korean War, and alleged political corruption.

Nixon presents his words with much passion which is Conger’s final part of the persuasion model. Through his varying presentations, Nixon is able to “connect emotionally” (Walker, 2015) which in turn supports his persuasive argument.

Public Broadcasting Service (n.d) . Checkers Speech . American Experience . retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/nixon-checkers/

Miller Center of Public Affairs (2009) . Richard Nixon - "Checkers" Speech . Youtube . Sep 3, 2009 . retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9LcAJOsFGg

Walker, Robyn (2015) . Strategic Management Communication for Leaders . 3rd Ed . Cengage Learning . Stamford, CT . pp 8