Desperate Times Call for Desperate and Ineffective Rhetorical Strategies: Richard Nixon’s Resignation Speech
On the evening of August 8th, 1974, President Richard Nixon addressed the citizens of the United States and informed them that he will be stepping down from his position. His resignation was the result of his involvement in the Watergate scandal, one of the biggest scandals in American history. As someone who ended American involvement in the Vietnam War, established diplomatic relations and enabled trade with China, he had become a criminal to the members of Congress and the people he chose to serve (“Biography”). Completely aware that there is strong evidence supporting his involvement, he decided to deliver his resignation speech and use whatever credibility he had left to appeal to the nation. In his speech, President Nixon lacked logical reasoning to support his argument that he only had the Nation’s interests at heart. In addition, he heavily relied on emotional appeal and ineffective methods to repair his credibility to sway the audience.
The one factor that prevented Nixon from being able to use his emotional claims was his tainted reputation. How is it possible for the audience to trust someone who abused his power to prevail in his selfless actions? To achieve this, Nixon explicitly states his previous accomplishments to restore his credibility. He states, “This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office” (Nixon). Thus, he is trying to remind the citizens of America that he has served as their President for a good amount of time and is well experienced when it comes to making decisions that benefit the country. Additionally, he mentions, “We have ended America’s longest war,” “We have unlocked the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the United States and the People’s Republic of China,” and “Together with the Soviet Union we have made the crucial breakthroughs that have begun the process of limiting nuclear arms” (Nixon). Therefore, by using the word “we” instead of praising himself for these accomplishments, he achieves two preferred outcomes simultaneously. First, he establishes credibility for himself at a desperate moment where everyone views him as a criminal. Second, he acknowledges the audience by using the word “we” and hence gives credit to them. Thus, Nixon tries to reestablish his credibility by stating his past accomplishments and in effect remind the audience that they were the result of his actions.
Indeed, Nixon attempts to build credibility during his speech to appeal to the audience, but with a clear lack of logical reasoning, it is likely that the audience remain unconvinced about his unjust actions as President. In his speech, he mentions the following, “I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation,” “But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations,” and “But as President, I must put the interest of America first” (Nixon). It is observable that Nixon intends to persuade the audience into thinking that all his actions were morally just and that he is selfless. With this premise in mind, he states, “Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow” (Nixon). By reiterating the phrase “interest of the nation” several times and by concluding the premise with his resignation, he seeks to emphasize the fact that he puts the nation before himself. Although, this type of reasoning seems convincing, it is flawed and fails to persuade the audience. The true reason to his resignation was that he lost his political standing in Congress due to his involvement in the scandal. In addition, the House of Representatives were ready to vote for his impeachment process and this allows the House to file formal charges against him (“Biography”). Hence, his resignation would prevent those undesirable events and keep more of the evidence out of the public’s reach. As a result, his attempt at providing logical reasoning using deduction is flawed and a lost cause since a majority of the nation are aware of what would take place had he not resigned.
A multitude of arguments fall apart when they heavily rely on employing emotional appeal coupled with minimal logical reasoning. And it is very evident from Nixon’s speech that he intended to emphasize his emotional appeal because he was aware that his damaged credibility will hinder the nation from understanding the intent of his arguments. Nixon attempts to incite sympathy and pity from the audience by saying, “To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, to many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support” (Nixon). Knowing that families will be listening to him as he delivers his speech, he tries to portray family values by explicitly mentioning them and thanking them for their support. Moreover, he asserts during the initial part of his speech that he put the interest of the nation before his family’s best interest (Nixon). This causes the audience to develop sympathy as he sacrifices his family’s opinion for the sake of the nation. Nixon also expresses his hope in matters such as achieving peace, forming ties with countries in the Middle East, destroying nuclear weapons and working for a future where the next generation will have the necessities to a decent life (Nixon). By stating the nation’s common interest along with the fact that the audience is aware that he will have no authority over these matters once he resigns, it encourages them to believe his previous statements about putting the country he chose to serve before himself. In brief, Nixon was able to use emotional appeal, the only rhetorical device which can prove effective in his case to bring about sympathy in the minds of the audience and regain their trust by targeting various topics that incite emotion.
In retrospect, Nixon’s resignation speech had an underlying goal—to reestablish his credibility with the citizens of the nation and earn their trust back. Since the press already released information regarding his involvement in the scandal with solid evidence, coming clean to the audience and taking responsibility for poor judgement would have helped him regain their trust. As a result, this would give his emotional appeal a more convincing portrayal. Since he chose to alter the facts to support his statements and by reiterating his selflessness, he was unable to persuade the audience. His speech undertook the strategy of relying completely on emotional appeal and making deductive logical statements based on emotion to sway the audience, which is ineffective. Thus, with credibility as a serious concern to the audience, Nixon failed to provide factual evidence to support his claims and failed at altering the audience’s perspective.
Works Cited
“Biography of Richard Milhous Nixon”, Nixon Library, www.nixonlibrary.gov/thelife/nixonbio.pdf. Accessed 11 September 2017.
Nixon, Milhous Richard. “President Nixon’s Resignation Speech.” Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/newshour/spc/character/links/nixon_speech.html. Accessed 11 September 2017.