Change and Continuity in Concession and Victory Speeches: Race,Gender,and Age in the Closing Statements of the 2008 Presidential Campaign

Abstract

Given the controversies related to race, gender, and age that characterized the 2008 campaign, and the uniquely historic outcome of the presidential election, one might expect deviations from rhetorical conventions associated with the concession and victory statements that marked the end of the campaign. This essay examines issues related to the race, gender, and age of Barack Obama, John McCain, and Sarah Palin that were manifest during the campaign and the ways McCain and Obama addressed those controversial issues in their respective concession and victory speeches. The candidates’ speeches maintained continuity with the generic aspects of concession and victory speeches. Within those generic constraints, McCain and Obama primarily addressed aspects of race. McCain implicitly addressed contemporary and continuing issues related to gender, whereas Obama did not, but neither candidate addressed issues related to age.