Editorial by Drew Westen, a professor of psychology at Emory University
In his article, Drew Westen writes about the different qualities that both political parties lack and can learn from each other. On one hand, he states that one pattern consistently found in Democrats is their value in intellect. They move in very logical directions based on science and reasoning. Republicans, such as the candidates running for the 2012 election, have started to move in less intellectual ways, choosing to build their foundations on subjects such as religion. On the other hand, while Democrats possess "generic knowledge," they lack the ability to execute their plans effectively, a skill the Republicans are adept at. Republicans do a good job of making their values known, and moving the social crowds in directions that they want to go. They possess what cognitive scientists refer to as "procedural knowledge."
The context includes having background knowledge on American politics. It also requires a general understanding of the patterns of behavior both the Republican and Democratic parties have demonstrated over the last couple of years.
Rhetorical elements include using specialized terms used by cognitive scientists such as "generic" and "procedural" knowledge. The editorial also makes good use of analogies to help the reader better comprehend his argument on a more simple, more manageable level.
The purpose of the article was to tackle the fundamental problems of our political parties. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats are fully in the right or wrong. Rather they both need to improve in certain aspects. I think the author did a decent job in going about his argument. He qualified both sides and gave a very realistic and honest observation.
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