The following data is the result of an analysis of John McCain and Barack Obama's campaign speeches given from February 10, 2007 until August 19, 2008, and of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.


1. John McCain

When comparing the personal pronouns used by John McCain to Barack Obama, the following words turn out to be significant:

Pronoun	Significance Level	Relative Frequency Factor
my	< 0.0001	1.66
their	< 0.0001	1.19
he	0.00016	1.26
I	0.00776	1.08

In his campaign speeches, John McCain uses 1.66-times more than Barack Obama the personal pronoun my and 1.08-times more the pronoun I, indicating a much higher degree of self-reference.

In addition, he makes much greater usage of the personal pronouns he (1.26-times more) and their (1.19-times more), reflecting a greater reference to his opponents and adversaries, e.g. his fellow Republican candidates during the primaries and the Democratic nominee Barack Obama.



2. Barack Obama

When comparing the personal pronouns used by Barack Obama to John McCain, on the other hand, the differences are striking.

Pronoun	Significance Level	Relative Frequency Factor
we	< 0.0001	1.4
you	< 0.0001	1.5
us	< 0.0001	1.33
yourself	0.00028	6.17
they	0.03107	1.1

Barack Obama uses to a far greater extent personal pronouns indicating collectivity and dialogue. More specifically, Obama employs we 1.4-times more than John McCain and us 1.33-times more. The pronouns you and yourself also occur to a statistically significant higher degree (1.5-times more/6.17-times more) in his rhetoric.

Pronoun	Significance Level	Relative Frequency Factor
she	< 0.0001	5.87
her	< 0.0001	2.71
herself	0.0325	(not used by McCain)

Given the long race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton during the primaries, it is also no surprise that his usage of female pronouns is significantly higher than John McCain's. For example, Obama has used she 5.87-times as much as John McCain.

A similar picture emerges when comparing the speeches given during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado (August 25-28, 2008) and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Saint Paul (September 1-4, 2008).



3. Republican National Convention

At the Republican convention, references to a third person (male) abound, with a far greater usage of the pronouns his (1.77-times more), he (1.24-times more) and him (1.42-times more). This is a clear indication of a focus either on the Republican candidate himself or on his opponents, e.g. Barack Obama.

Pronoun	Significance Level	Relative Frequency Factor
his	< 0.0001	1.77
I	< 0.0001	1.33
he	0.00174	1.24
her	0.00597	1.49
him	0.03684	1.42

During their convention, the Republicans also employed the dialogic pronouns you and your significantly more than their Democratic counterparts the week before (1.51-times/1.33-times more), suggesting a strong personalizing dimension to their rhetoric and call for mobilization.

Pronoun	Significance Level	Relative Frequency Factor
you	< 0.0001	1.51
your	0.02076	1.33

4. Democratic National Convention

In stark contrast to the Republican convention, the speeches during the Democratic National Convention display a similarly high usage of pronouns indicating a collective endeavor, very much in line with Barack Obama's rhetoric during his campaign speeches. Of particular statistical significance are the uses of we, our, us (1.38-/1.19- and 1.4-times more than their Republican counterparts).

Pronoun	Significance Level	Relative Frequency Factor
we	< 0.0001	1.38
our	0.00034	1.19
ours	0.00047	1.4

5. Conclusion

Given these statistics, it is justified to conclude that the usage of personal pronouns by John McCain and during the Republican campaign illustrate a significantly higher degree of self-reference and references to opponents and adversaries on the side of the McCain campaign.

Although the speeches during the Republican convention, when compared to their Democratic counterparts, also showed the attempt to address the audience more directly, the usage of personal pronouns by Barack Obama and the Democratic campaign suggests far more consistent appeal to collectivity and shared mission or experience.


For an explanation of scientific terms, please visit our glossary section.