Argumentative statements delivered by the 2008 USA Presidential candidates in Political debates

ABSTRACT

This study aims to find out how presidential candidates, Barack Obama from Democratic Party and John Mc Cain from Republican Party formulated their argumentation during the presidential debates.

The study is a descriptive qualitative study. The data of this study are transcripts of debate that are taken from the two debates during the presidential campaign season. Those two debates are conducted on September 26st, 2008 at campus of University of Mississippi, and the other was conducted on October 15th, 2008 at Hofstra University, Hempstead. The researcher obtained the data by reading the debate script of 2008 USA Presidential candidates that published in www.cnn.com. The Toulmin’s Model of argumentation is used to utilize and recognize the argumentation elements in candidates’ statements.

The result of this study is that both Barack Obama and John Mc Cain had fulfilled the Toulmin’s model delivered their argumentation in the debate. Most of the argumentation delivered by both candidates are simple argumentation or argumentation that consists of three main elements of argumentation: claim, warrant, and data. A few argumentations delivered in full elements or in multiple argumentations, which consist of claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier and backing and rebuttal. Another type of argumentation delivered is subordinative argumentation that compounded of serial warrant or serial data that support each other. Generally, Obama and Mc Cain propose their claims in the full declarative sentences. Most of the warrant in both Obama and Mc Cain are left unstated or implicit.

It is difficult to classify which one is claim, which one is warrant, and which one is rebuttal without the perfect comprehends of Toulmin’s Model of Argumentation. So, it is important to for the researchers to have the perfect comprehends of Toulmin Model of Argumentation. It also suggests for the next researchers to broader the field of research. It will be great if the studies are framed in the broader field of Discourse Analysis like Critical Discourse Analysis and Semantic Discourse Analysis. It is going to present more complete comprehending about the text contents.