Essay on Rhetorical Strategies and Fallacies in President Obama's Call for Health Reform Mobilization

Introduction

The conference call between Barack Obama and leading Organizing for America volunteers focused on health reform through reducing costs for families and citizens and protecting individual's choice of hospitals, healthcare, and doctors in ensuring affordable healthcare. The volunteers had the confidence that they could reclaim the sense of responsibility in Washington state. The president raised several factual assertions.

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Obama said incentives and economy had been developed on massive inequalities bubbles requiring restoration to a sense of fairness, build the economy, and create a new foundation for lasting growth (BarackObamadotcom, 2009). Also, through keeping each other safe, the changes in the health reforms require being true to American ideals (BarackObamadotcom, 2009). The improvement contains the American recovery and reinvestment act, which is half the budget and the aim of achieving quality affordable health care for all Americans (BarackObamadotcom, 2009). A working healthcare reform preserves what works regarding healthcare and fixes the laws that are broken, which changes the unacceptable status quo of health (BarackObamadotcom, 2009). There is a need for overall mobilization by knocking on doors, making calls, educating neighbors, and taking notice of politicians who do not want changes in the current health care system (BarackObamadotcom, 2009).

Evidence Supporting the Assertions

The evidence supports the call to action through Obama's appeal to the authority of the citizens of the United States. In the beginning, Obama acknowledges their efforts in promoting the campaign against affordable healthcare and fixing the health care system. Obama's testimony of their support puts up concrete detail, uses repetition in structure to shows contrast in his evidence. Although they are less measurable, they are more profound in the way they are asserted. The points show that he is solemn and reserved but dynamic, which reflects the position of his office.

Obama calls upon the volunteers with respect and appeals to them enthusiastically on the significance of changing the health reforms to benefit the American people. The sincerity in his word means a lot; he speaks the truth and is useful in doing it. Obama appreciated the trust the health care volunteers have placed with him and commend their support during the health reform campaign. Also, he points out the primary priority of the health reform, which is to attain the change that ensures quality and affordable healthcare for every American. Ultimately, he points out the need to ensure the improvements go through in 2009 and recognizes that procrastinating will fail in attaining the set goals of the campaign.

Fallacies

The call uses slippery slope fallacy as Obama claims mobilization through knocking on doors and educating neighbors will inevitably lead to a series of actions that contribute to the adoption of the health reforms (Purdue Writing Lab, 2020). The politicians and congress will notice the efforts and help in achieving the goals. Moreover, the call uses a false dilemma with Obama offering extreme conclusions about mobilization as not everyone is welcoming on people pestering them at their home. Regarding false dilemmas, individuals might reject teaching at their homes and need to come up with a different strategy.

Furthermore, he uses hasty generalization fallacy by claiming that the help of the health volunteers will enable a reduction in costs for families and government protection of the health care system (Purdue Writing Lab, 2020). There are various institutions whose input will be required in attaining the reforms, and without that, most likely, it will not pass. Additionally, Obama uses Ad Populum in persuading the health care volunteers to support the claim because most people are supporting it.

References

BarackObamadotcom. (2009, June 4). President Obama's Call with Health Care Volunteers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPWtZLR3OBo

Purdue Writing Lab. (2020). Logical Fallacies. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/logic_in_argumentative_writing/fallacies.html