Jordan VS Little
Idaho’s heated race for governor
Paulette Jordan and Brad Little are up in running to be the governor of Idaho. Brad Little is currently the lieutenant governor, and Paulette Jordan has served in the Idaho House of Representatives as well as in the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council. Jordan would also be the first woman and Native American governor in Idaho as well as in the entire nation. In the first meetings at the College of Idaho and Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy the two candidates went over issues such as taxes, education, and more.
Idaho’s salaries for teachers is below the nations average at $54,520, while they are not last teachers alround want better pay. Brad Little starts off stating, “I’m proud of the fact that we lead the nation in increase of funding for teachers. Im proud of the fact-” In this sentence Little uses anaphora just before he is cut off. Emphasizing how ‘proud’ he is shows that he is bragging that the people of Idaho care for their teachers enough to be in the lead. Jordan reminds him that the state of Idaho does not lead the country’s teacher salaries, in fact they are near dead last. “Rate of increase, even though you think we are trying to get ahead, we may have gone two steps ahead but we’re still at the end of elimination.” Here Jordan uses the inclusive ‘we.’ By doing so she makes sure that the people of Idaho don’t think that they have only improved teachers pay, but also have also hindered it, and are in need of change. Here Jordan effectively conveys to the audience that while they (the people and the people in government positions) have worked to improve teacher pay, they can do better. This brings the Idahoans together to create a better future for their teachers.
Gun control is a common and heated topic. There are several views on how guns should be regulated. A liberal view would state that citizens do not have the right to own firearms while a conservative view would say it’s a right for individuals to defend themselves. In the state of Idaho the countryside allows for much hunting and fishing. Jordan doesn’t support the idea of “standing your ground” when it comes to using firearms. “Similar ‘stand your ground’ policies in other states have led to increased homicide rates, especially amongst children and people of color. Enacting this reckless legislation would make Idaho less fair and less safe.” Here Jordan is using political correctness when regarding to minorities. Brad Little’s response when asked his position on “stand your ground” as self defense was, “I would be supportive of a bill that provides a reasonable standard in removing the duty to flee in Idaho’s self-defense laws.” Here Little doesn’t use much rhetoric. Overall Jordan would most effectively persuade an audience towards her views on gun control.
While both candidates make valid points in a heated discussion while talking about transparency in regards to the relationship and trust between the government and the people. When talking about transparency the audience that Brad Little and Paulette Jordan are targeting Idahoans as a whole, and even the people in the entire nation. Paulette Jordan starts out with a bold statement, “The Little Otter administration has failed the public good of Idaho, once I’m governor I will fully show what transparency is about” Here she uses criticism and bluntly states that the current administration of Idaho has failed the people of Idaho. Brad Little then replies to her statement with “Transparency is literally the mothers milk of the successful in the fact that there would be confidence of the people in what decisions are being made by their government.” Here Brad Little is saying that trust in one’s government officials is just as meaningful as a mothers milk, and if Jordan maintains total transparency, she will be trusted by the people.Shortly after Jordan boldy accuses Little of not talking to the media. Brad Little responds with “I’m not running for the president of the United States. I’m not running for governor for California.” and effectively uses anaphora. Here emphasizes who he is not running for. He is only running for the people of Idaho. Little uses rhetoric to say that there does not need to be transparency in the government: the people should blindly trust the officials they elect. This does not inspire confidence in the people. The people want to know what is happening behind the scenes. Because of this Jordan successfully wins the people over saying that they need change in power to improve.
Overall Paulette Jordan would win the election, her use of rhetoric would captivate the audience making her the suitable candidate to vote for.
In the end Brad Little received the majority of 60% of the votes whereas Paulette Jordan only received 38%. Republicans have continuously been dominant in which way Idahoans have voted in previous years so in a way that it was more probable for Brad Little to be the new governor.
