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Obama's New Catchphrase: 'Change Is'

President emphasizes his achievements with new rhetorical device

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 2, 2011 12:18 PM CST

(Newser) – Barack Obama has a new pet rhetorical device designed to highlight his accomplishments and kindle memories of his 2008 campaign. The magic words: “Change is…” Obama trotted out the phrase a dozen times in a speech in New York Wednesday, the Huffington Post reports, with lines like, "Change is the first bill I signed into law—a law that says … somebody who put in an equal day’s work should get an equal day’s pay," or "Change is health care reform that we passed after a century of trying."

Obama actually debuted the device weeks ago, using it 10 times in a Nov. 14 speech in Hawaii. But using it again indicates that he’s trying it out as a recurring theme. "It’s an effort to take back the mantel of change," a Democratic strategist says, "to circle back to the fundamental point of the '08 campaign and to illustrate how that change has been accomplished."

President Barack Obama speaks at Scranton High School, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 in Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/Scranton Times & Tribune , Butch Comegys)

President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event at the Sheraton Hotel, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Obama's New Catchphrase: 'Change Is'

President emphasizes his achievements with new rhetorical device

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Barack Obama • change • President Obama • Obama 2012 • political rhetoric

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