Althouse: "For the next 5 weeks, Wisconsin is going to be the center of the American political universe."

May 3, 2012

"For the next 5 weeks, Wisconsin is going to be the center of the American political universe."

"All the eyes of America for the next 5 weeks are going to be on the state of Wisconsin. For the next 5 weeks, America is going to find out the answer to what is more powerful: the people or the moneyed special interests from Washington, DC."

It's Chris Christie (talking about the Scott Walker recall):

Via Hot Air. When I clicked through to the YouTube page to get the code to embed, the video began with an ad... for Tom Barrett. Barrett is the Democrat most likely to win next Tuesday's Democratic primary and be Walker's opponent in the recall election. Impressive business model, YouTube!

Typing out the quote above, I wondered if I'd discovered the secret to Chris Christie's rhetoric. It's a rule of 3. Say something once. Then restate it with the same key words, but in a somewhat different order. Then say it a third time, carrying over some key words — e.g., "America" and "next 5 weeks" — and add on one new thought. (Let me know if you see other examples of what I'll call The Christie Rule of 3.)

57 comments:

vet66 said...: Clarify and confirm; make the point, use an example to back it up, then restate the point. Christie is a fine speaker who knows his art well.; 5/3/12, 7:11 AM
traditionalguy said...: That is good teaching technique. Repetition of a simple idea to a simple minded audience simply gets results. Let me repeat that.; 5/3/12, 7:14 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "That is good teaching technique."

It's reminiscent of the old teaching technique: Tell them what you are going to say. Say it. Then tell them you said it.; 5/3/12, 7:16 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I could really cut back on class prep time if I said everything 3 times!; 5/3/12, 7:17 AM
Ann Althouse said...: There's a danger that the audience will rebel at the message that you think they're kind of dumb.

But then "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." — H. L. Mencken; 5/3/12, 7:18 AM
Chip S. said...: exposition

development

recapitulation; 5/3/12, 7:23 AM
Tim Wohlford said...: As for that YouTube ad -- during the last (2010) election, the Michigan 7th Congressional incumbent spent lots of money on YouTube ads. I recall seeing one of his ads on a YouTube video that discussed vaginal farts. When I called his campaign committee to ask them about that ad placement, the poor young (female) aide totally lost it.; 5/3/12, 7:30 AM
FleetUSA said...: I think the Rule of 3 is perfect for many things (including speaking to the general population) but not for a law school lecture unless it is a unique point the professor wants to be sure is understood.; 5/3/12, 8:06 AM
Known Unknown said...: Christie's rule of 3 actually refers to cheeseburgers.; 5/3/12, 8:12 AM
dbp said...: When the union dues flow stops, all eyes will turn to Madison. The Challenger and the President himself will be forced to deal with us. Wisconsin will become the center of the universe.

Walker aka Muad'dib; 5/3/12, 8:24 AM
Scott M said...: Walker aka Muad'dib

Nerd.; 5/3/12, 8:27 AM
rehajm said...: There's a danger that the audience will rebel at the message that you think they're kind of dumb.

Except in attack mode, the Clinton's speak as if their audience is four years old and hard of hearing. Romney 's cadence is quick, but he's been coached on it. It still may sink him in the debates...; 5/3/12, 8:35 AM
MadisonMan said...: Money from out of state is always to be criticized when it's not for your candidate.

How much of Christie's campaign coffers came from Not New Jersey?; 5/3/12, 8:46 AM
Anonymous said...: They say y'all in NJ?; 5/3/12, 8:49 AM
MadisonMan said...: Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public

Nobody made money on doing that either.

I'm not a fan of that say you're going to say it, say it, say you said it type of teaching style in the classroom. Important points are stressed throughout the semester, and I might ask the students if they remember such-and-such from three weeks ago when I said it, and said it was important, and said that I'd mention it again.

For a talk at a conference, I will sometimes use that speaking style -- warn, say, recap (lather, rinse, repeat) -- but only if I have one or two points to get across.; 5/3/12, 8:54 AM
Carnifex said...: @marcadler

You never listened to CCR?
(this is an assumption on my part, I don't know where Foggerty is from originally, but I thought it was the NE corridor)

I don't have time to google it... I'm off to see my grandson byyeeee.; 5/3/12, 9:01 AM
bagoh20 said...: Don't. screw. this. up.

Just keep thinking Soviet Union - Greece - California - Wiscons...

Remember what your Mom asked: "Just because your friends jump off a cliff, are you going to?"; 5/3/12, 9:02 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/3/12, 9:03 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: He was a prosecutor and this is the way he spoke to juries. Emphasize the few key facts he wanted them to remember when they deliberate.

All jury cases, no matter how complex, come down to a few key documents or statements.; 5/3/12, 9:04 AM
MadisonMan said...: You might ask: How can the Soviet Union and Wisconsin belong on the same list?

Revealed! Wisconsin spends billions in defense to keep the hordes from Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota from invading (except for specific periods defined as 'Vacation Seasons') -- but those monies are in a special secret fund that I thought no out-of-stater knows about. I only know about if because it comes in the tax forms Wisconsin mails me every January. (This is why Wisconsin tax rates are high) I will probably be exiled to Duluth in February for revealing this information. It's been nice knowing you all.; 5/3/12, 9:08 AM
Known Unknown said...: Afterwards, Christie ate his weight in cheese curds.; 5/3/12, 9:37 AM
Known Unknown said...: I'll be doing the Chris Christie fat jokes so Garage doesn't have to.; 5/3/12, 9:38 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: Christie is a very large man. Walker looks like Christie's teenage son, or maybe a mini-me, as both are wearing similar shirt and tie combos.

A large man to tackle large problems.; 5/3/12, 9:45 AM
ndspinelli said...: The same technique is also used by good clergymen and women. Billy Graham was a master, as was Bishop Fulton Sheen, MLK Jr. and Malcolm.; 5/3/12, 9:48 AM
ndspinelli said...: I think the audience did rebel against, "DON'T GO". In an almost Onion like follow-up. the nanny UW Dean is now suggesting students go to the Farmers market instead of the Mifflin Party. You can't make this stuff up. Onion can just report the news straight on this fiasco; 5/3/12, 9:52 AM
MadisonMan said...: @EMD, the rule of 3 cheeseburger one was the best so far.; 5/3/12, 9:55 AM
edutcher said...: What he's really saying is that WI will be hit by the Full Court Alinsky.

If it doesn't work, watch the Demos panic.

marcadler said...

They say y'all in NJ?

No.

The rule is the Mason-Dixon Line is the cutoff between y'all and youse guys.; 5/3/12, 10:15 AM
The Blogger said...: It's called "Anaphora"; it's a technique of repeating a key word or phrase. It is a classic rhetorical devise used often by great writers and speakers.

go ahead, google it. Farnsworth wrote a book recently called Classis English Rhetoric and it describes many such techniques and gives famous historical examples.

e.g.

Five years have passed;
Five summers, with the length of Five long winters! and again I hear these waters...
— William Wordsworth,

Tintern Abbey; 5/3/12, 10:18 AM
glenn said...: It's a permutation of the oldest rule of public speaking.

1. Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em.

2. Tell 'em.

3. Tell 'em what you told 'em.

Learned it from Ms. Ida Green in 1955. Good rule.; 5/3/12, 10:20 AM
Sloan said...: I want Chris Christie to run for President someday, if for no other reason than to enjoy the hypocrisy of the Democrats and national media -- who are forever lecturing us about "civility" -- as they savage him about his weight. It will be a way to stick it to all the Nanny State hand-wringers who want us to subsist on tofu and organically grown sprouts, as well as a means of drawing out the irrational inner hatred of the Left so that it will be on display for everyone to see.; 5/3/12, 10:29 AM
Bill M said...: Sloan said...

You don't need Christie to run. It's on dislpay everyday.; 5/3/12, 10:48 AM
Unknown said...: ------Except that the money is coming out of Palm Beach, and, right here, the Bradley Foundation.

Except that the money is coming out of SEIU and AFSCME headquarters, and right here WEAC which ripped off hundreds of millions of dollars with their coerced health care operation.; 5/3/12, 10:59 AM
Unknown said...: I'll be doing the Kathleen Falk bad dentures jokes so Alex doesn't have to.

I'll be doing the Tom Barrett pumping poop into Lake Michigan jokes so the EPA doesn't have to.

Now that Mayor Tom Barrett’s MMSD is Wisconsin’s biggest polluter, having dumped over 2 billion in untreated sewage into Lake Michigan last month, his campaign spokesman may be drinking the water.

http://wiwastewatchers.blogspot.com/2010/08/straight-poop-on-barretts-poop-in-lake.html

Sorry, that one isn't making fun of the way he looks...; 5/3/12, 11:05 AM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: You might ask: How can the Soviet Union and Wisconsin belong on the same list?

I always thought Wisconsin was more like eastern Europe. We will see if Walker can tear down that wall.; 5/3/12, 11:08 AM
David A. Carlson said...: standard Lutheran sermon - tell em what your going to tell em, tell em, tell em what you told em; 5/3/12, 11:14 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: "... Walker aka Muad'dib

Nerd..."

Christie does resemble the Baron Harkkonen....; 5/3/12, 11:21 AM
Scott M said...: Christie does resemble the Baron Harkkonen

More like Rabban. He's squeezing, squeezing New Jersey. Honestly, the environment there is every bit as hellish as Arakkis.; 5/3/12, 11:26 AM
garage mahal said...: I always thought Wisconsin was more like eastern Europe. We will see if Walker can tear down that wall.

With so many red states to live in, you choose eastern europe. Maybe you would feel more at home in Georgia or Alabama?; 5/3/12, 11:29 AM
Michael K said...: The rhetorical method described is the classic Army Way. Tell them what you are going to teach, teach it and tell them what they were just taught. I once got in troubler in a medical school faculty meeting by saying that the US Army was the greatest educational institution (and success at it) in US history. It taught 200,000 men of average intelligence to fly in World War Two and did it in three years, By 1943, the Navy had too many pilots. They had anticipated worse losses in carrier combat.

Another instructor, of course a leftist women, snorted to show her contempt for the idea.; 5/3/12, 11:29 AM
Middleboro Jones said...: I will gladly accept the word of Mr. Christie over that of the lying pol who inhabits the White House....Mr. Christie is a breath of fresh air and one who calls it as it is....Reminds me of Harry Truman. We need him right about now after almost 4 years of the " Vactioner-in-Chief" and his half-wit lecturing wife. OMG - Obama Must GO !!!!; 5/3/12, 11:54 AM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: Maybe you would feel more at home in Georgia or Alabama?

Actually, I will be looking to move once I retire since I won't be able to afford to live in my current home. Unless, of course, drastic changes are made in Wisconsin property and income tax rates.; 5/3/12, 12:18 PM
luagha said...: It's a lot like Michael Caine's acting advice that he gave on an interview once.

"The secret.
To great acting.
Is to never.
Say any more.
Than three words.
At one time."

It's even more hilarious when you see him in the Batman movies doing exactly this.; 5/3/12, 12:22 PM
Scott M said...: It's even more hilarious when you see him in the Batman movies doing exactly this.

"Or their sons."; 5/3/12, 12:36 PM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: Last I heard, these were the top WEAC retirement destination recommendations:

The three most popular states with a southerly climate and no state income taxes are Florida, Texas, and Nevada. There are other states that have no income taxes including Washington and Wyoming.

I'll probably have to take their advice.; 5/3/12, 12:46 PM
garage mahal said...: There you go.; 5/3/12, 12:59 PM
Sloan said...: leslyn sneered:

And you're such a nice person yourself.

5/3/12 11:41 AM

Actually, I am...by the testimony of all who know me.; 5/3/12, 1:15 PM
ndspinelli said...: Kathleen Falk eats corn on the cob through a chain link fence. He gets her some rural votes.; 5/3/12, 2:02 PM
ndspinelli said...: In our culture unfortunately, you can't win a national office if you're obese. The fact that Newt didn't lose weight was one of MANY reasons he was rejected, albeit not in the top 10 rerasons. If you see Christie losing weight..watch out Dems.

In Jersey, that crook Dem Corzine made fun of his weight and there was a backlash. As there would be here in obese Wi. But, nationwide it's a big liability.; 5/3/12, 2:06 PM
ndspinelli said...: leslyn, You are absolutely correct. Back then, only the wealthy could afford to be fat. Fatness was a sign of wealth. Now, the wealthy are all skinny[and anorexic] and middle class and poor are fat. Good observation. You can learn much from old photos.
Look @ old high school yearbooks and then current ones..startling!; 5/3/12, 2:26 PM
Claude Hopper said...: Obama's approach: tell them you are going to lie to them, tell the lie, and then tell them they were lied to.; 5/3/12, 3:20 PM
Known Unknown said...: "In our culture unfortunately, you can't win a national office if you're obese."

When the time comes, Christie will roll over the competition.

Literally.; 5/3/12, 4:17 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Leslyn,

Or, could it Michael K actually knew this person (who was, after all, a colleague) and knew she was a lefty because she didn't keep that to herself?

Nahhhh, no plausibility there at all.; 5/3/12, 4:22 PM
Known Unknown said...: Why has Christie avoided mentions of being the Republican running mate?

Sounds like too much exercise.; 5/3/12, 4:23 PM
Known Unknown said...: Little known fact, Chris Christie once ate dog meat, too.

Whole roasted St. Bernard. Appetizer.; 5/3/12, 4:25 PM
Known Unknown said...: Contrary to conventional thought, Chris Christie believes in deficit spending.

He'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.; 5/3/12, 4:53 PM
Known Unknown said...: It's a lot like Michael Caine's acting advice that he gave on an interview once.

The Trip is a trip.; 5/3/12, 9:42 PM
Unknown said...: Oops hit a nerve!

The unions will spend the stolen money for Barrett.; 5/3/12, 10:39 PM