Speech Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Speech Theses and Dissertations by Author "Nordlund, Marilyn Adell"

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    The Rhetoric of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in the Oregon Presidential Preference Primary of 1968
    (University of Oregon, 1968-08) Nordlund, Marilyn Adell
    Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in late 1963, there was much speculation about the political future of his brother, Robert Francis Kennedy. As the younger Kennedy began to move again in the public eye, political analysts attempted to second-guess his motives and sought clues in his numerous speaking appearances. Likewise, Oregonians looked to him and other prominent political figures as they evaluated possible candidates for the 1968 version of their historic Presidential Preference Primary. It is the purpose of this thesis to combine an evaluation of the rhetoric of the late Robert F. Kennedy and a discussion of the 1968 Oregon campaign to provide conclusions as to Kennedy's rhetorical effectiveness in that vote-seeking drive. The campaign for the Presidency in 1968 has been melodramatic and newsworthy, but nothing has captured and sustained the nation's interest more than the sudden candidacy, enthusiastic crowds, victories and defeat, brutal assassination, and touching funeral of the junior Senator from New York. The life and death of Robert Francis Kennedy have been a constant headline since his entry into public life in the early 1950's; the words -- Kennedy, success, and publicity -- have had close association in myriads of newspaper and magazine articles throughout the years. His campaign in Oregon in 1968 was the only election defeat he ever experienced. His subsequent success in the California primary, and his untimely death on June 8, 1968, have made the Oregon primary an important element in speculation concerning the possible historical change wrought by the assassination of Robert Kennedy; but without that sudden change in the election picture, the unsuccessful Oregon campaign by an extremely successful campaigned would have constituted an interesting and profitable rhetorical study.