The Bush vs. Gore Rhetoric After the 2000 Electoral Impasse: A Ch'i-Shih Analysis

Abstract

Ch'i , maneuverable energy flow or perceived vitality in a person or message, interacts with shih , advantageous strategic circumstance. Ch'i may create or enhance shih , and vice versa. In communication, one can boost the “message shih” by identifying with a value system or other favorable circumstances to enhance the ch'i of the communicator or the message. Following the 2000 presidential election stalemate, both George W. Bush and Albert A. Gore tried to persuade the public to support their position of recounting or not recounting the ballots. They both employed shih strategies that might enhance ch'i in their arguments. In a pioneering attempt, this article analyzes the two leaders' rhetoric through a ch'i-shih interaction model. The model includes four kinds of shih : sucking shih , including riding shih (manipulating external favorable shih to boost ch'i ) and driving shih (taking advantage of one's own favorable situation or shih to enhance ch'i ); bucking shih (going against the unfavorable strong position or shih to spark ch' i); ducking shih (averting unfavorable situation to maintain ch'i ); and constructing shih (creating favorable shih to boost ch'i ). This fourfold model of shih can establish ch'i communication theory as a more inclusive model of rhetorical analysis.