Obama's SOTU Outline

To be a politician, you don't really need education, you just need to be good at talking to people and persuading them of something. You need to evict emotion and make someone want to vote for you, or at the very least support you. Barack Obama is very educated, as were most presidents, but one of the most important things is talking-- look what George W. Bush was able to do with Iraq. 

Though I don't know the name for it, Obama used a strategy that he's used in the past to say: "Hey. Look. I'm making a difference in the lives of American people." He told a story about Rebekah and Ben from Minneapolis, who just wanted to live the American Dream. I don't even remember what the story was trying to prove-- but it makes one feel very 'ra ra ra' about Obama and America. That's why it works.

Obama also did some impromptu ethos (though it may have been thought-out.) He said that he has no more campaigns to run (normal ethos,) and then some people started clapping. That's funny itself, and instead of just laughing with them, he said: "I know, because I won both of them!" Quite good ethos. And funny too.

Something else that every president since Reagan in the 83' state of the union, Obama invited someone to honor. He invtied Alan Gross and called him out. Another time I don't know the name of the device, but it's rhetoric none the less.