SEBASTIAN URIBE

The historical occasion that was causing the rise of plenty controversy in the topic of the control in the U.S. Senate, was that the congressional elections were right around the corner this past November 4th, 2014 and the difference of seats in the chamber was very close. The article I have chosen is titled, “Battle for the U.S. Senate”, written by Charles E. Cook. The article mainly talks about what both parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, have to do in order to hold or gain the majority of the seats in the U.S. Senate; it also gives you the most plausible outcomes for the upcoming elections with its reasons why that could happen. The big question answered in this article is who will win the majority in the U.S. Senate in the 2014 congressional elections and how? 

Audience/Purpose

            The purpose of the article is to explain in depth the way to obtain the majority of the seats in the U.S. Senate for the upcoming elections in November, and what it takes to obtain control of the Senate. The article doesn’t necessarily attack or defend any of the two parties. It explains the possibilities that the Democrats have to maintain the majority in the Senate and what the Republicans have to do to acquire the majority of the seats. 

Ethos

The article The Battle for the U.S. Senate is a reliable source because it was written by Charles E. Cook, the editor and publisher for the Cook Political Report; as well as a columnist for National Journal. He establishes credibility, or ethos, throughout the article by establishing claims and backing them up with evidence from past elections. In one of the examples he mentions, “Obama’s victory against Senator John McCain,”(Cook, 2014, p.160) which occurred during the elections in 2008. Charles E. Cook comes across as knowledgeable by the way he presents the information and sets up plausible outcomes from past election results.

Pathos

            Charles E. Cook uses pathos in a wise way to connect with all the possible audiences in politics. He sets authority in his writing and appeals to the audiences’ imagination when he establishes predictions of future turnouts in congressional elections. One of these predictions is that the Democrats will win the upcoming elections this November, but it isn’t written in stone or as he says, “Obviously, a lot can happen…” (Cook, 2014, p.163). The author appeals to emotion in an original way. As I mentioned previously, he addresses followers from all political parties and he makes predictions, but he doesn’t let anyone down; he gives the audience hope that their party may still have a chance to obtain the majority of the seats in the Senate for future elections. 

Logos

            The author uses logos in a way that makes it easy for the audience to understand. His principle arguments are about who will take over the U.S. Senate. Charles E. Cook (2014) starts the article by stating, “The battle for the U.S. House of Representatives was over before it even started, but the fight for control of the U.S. Senate is proving to be a knock-down, drag-out affair that could easily go either way.” (p.159). He structures his communication in the article through four separate sections. Charles E. Cook includes headings for the body paragraphs as well as citations that establish credibility.

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