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How Did Nixon's Use Of Logical Fallacies

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Nixon used several logical fallacies in his 1952 Checkers Speech when addressing the issue of funding and how it was received. He attempted to use distraction (Red Herring fallacy) when discussing communism. This was an obvious attempt to capitalize on the fear of communist parties of that time and provided distraction from the illegal funding he had received. Nixon further uses logical fallacies in his speech, including the use of begging the question and appears in the manner of circular logic. This is shown in statement "Now, was that wrong? And let me say that it was wrong. I'm saying, incidentally, that it was wrong and not just illegal. Because it isn't a question of whether it was legal or illegal, that isn't enough. The question is, was it morally wrong?" This is an attempt to bring into question …show more content…

I'm going to campaign up and down America until we drive the crooks and the Communists and those that defend them out of Washington. And remember, folks, Eisenhower is a great man. Believe me. He's a great man. And a vote for Eisenhower is a vote for what's good for America." Again, he dismissed the issue of funding and chose to focus on crooks and the communists, his commitment to fight for America, and Eisenhower. Nixon also attempts to appeal to the nations emotions by using emotive language when discussing the Cocker Spaniel instead of the funds by stating "it was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that he'd sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl-Tricia, the 6-year old-named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it". This too is obvious in its delivery, as he was appealing to the families all across

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