I Like Ike and His Jolly Jingle

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential campaign ad appeals to the common Republican man, especially those who may have some doubts whether or not to continue to vote Republican, in order to persuade him to vote for Ike. Though short, the ad uses repetitive phrases, and well-known symbolic images to emphasize its position to vote for President Eisenhower.

Because this ad was meant to appeal to a wide audience consisting of all walks of life, the rhetorical tools it employs are ones that are effective for all kinds of people. The first, the use of repetitive phrases, like “Ike for president” and “You like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike,” is effective because phrases that are repeated again and again tend to get stuck in any kind of person’s head, especially if it’s set to a catchy jingle. A jolly jingle is effective in getting anyone to keep thinking about something, even electing a Republican.

The ad also uses some well-known symbolic images to illustrate certain points – images anyone, in this case Republicans – would know. One of these is the image of the donkey – the common symbol for the Democratic party – penned up. This is a poignant image, as no one wants a closed-minded or limited party to be leading their party. Another image is that of Ike’s name rising into the sky in the picture of a cartoon sun above the White House, an obvious symbol of a rise to power, of life-giving glory. This contrasts strongly with the limited power of the donkeys in their pen. Who wouldn’t want to vote for someone who will be as dependable as the sun?