Big words…

Whilst browsing the analysis the recent one-off debate between US vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden (Democratic) and Sarah Palin (Republican), my eye was caught by these two graphics (from wordle.net). They represent the frequency of words used by the two candidates in their various contributions to the debate.

Although I’ve seen this approach used to show most popular search terms before, it wasn’t the different application that interested me, it is what they tell us about the approach each of the candidates may have taken.

Now I haven’t seen the debate in full (way past my bedtime), I reckon this graphical representation can lead me to a few conclusions about what was said.

The most striking feature is that the most frequent term for both candidates was that of the Republican candidate, John McCain. Of course it would be natural enough for his running mate Palin to reinforce her man’s name, but why would their opposition be so keen to mention him so often. The assumption must be that their approach to this event was to emphasis what they perceive as McCain’s weaknesses, to discredit their opponent rather than promote their own. Whether this is a sign of confidence or fear can be debated.

Another area that interested me was the way the candidates appear to refer to their country, and those that live there. Prominent on Palin’s graphic are the words ‘American’ and ‘people’, clearly reflective of the homely image she portrays. On the other hand ‘people’, ‘United’, ‘States’ and ‘America’ appear high in Biden’s list, providing a more authoritarian tone.

Clearly the analysis of this could go on for some time, but as a closing comment it’s worth noticing how often Biden used the word ‘President’. Now that has to be confidence.