The year 2008 is going to be quite decisive for Italian and American political life: as political elections are taking place in both countries in a few months, there could be no better opportunity to compare some of their protagonists in a sort of "overseas confrontation".
The starting point of my reflection on political elections was: which American candidates are most known and talked of in Italy? Without any doubt, the two Conservative adversaries Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton: almost every day Italian newspapers report on their speeches and results. What about the main Republican candidate John McCain? To tell the truth, I hadn't heard much about him; it was exactly to set a limit to my ignorance that I decided to gather information about him. As a consequence, the main Italian right-wing candidate I could take into account for my reflection was Silvio Berlusconi. Not only are both Berlusconi and McCain candidates from the right wing, but they are also the same age (both born in 1936) and have great appeal on their audience.. What else do they have in common? On which values does their campaign focus on?
THE VALUES
Having a look at Berlusconi's official website, I noticed that the word freedo
m is the most frequently used expression in the politician's speeches, interviews and articles. Not only does this word define Berlusconi's party (Il popolo delle Libertà), but it is also one of the highest values in his entire campaign. One of the ads I found on YouTube actually insists on this term: "Come on Italy, stand up! Your future is at hand! Let's work together to be free..." What's more, one the slogans of Berlusconi's party says "Forza Italia: a wish to be free". Berlusconi himself focuses on this key word during all his speeches: on 9. February 2008, for instance, the Italian right-wing candidate started his speech during a party meeting with a solemn statement: "We believe in freedom, in all kinds of freedom". Freedom is not the only value Berlusconi is symbolically using in his campaign: in all his interviews he insists on the role of the family as the most important value in Italian culture, so that giving dignity and economic certainty to Italian families seems to be one of his main goals. Religion, too, appears to be a very common value in Berlusconi's campaign: not only in many speeches and interviews does he stand up for the dogmas of the Catholic church, but he also makes use of religious symbols and concepts. On 18. February 2008, for instance, Berlusconi was interviewed at his own house in Arcore by a famous Tv journalist: on the wall behind the politician there hung a big picture of Jesus with his mother. What's more, the main goals of Berlusconi's potential new government are called "The seven Missions": in this case, too, a word which originally comes from the religious area is used for political purposes.
m is the most frequently used expression in the politician's speeches, interviews and articles. Not only does this word define Berlusconi's party (Il popolo delle Libertà), but it is also one of the highest values in his entire campaign. One of the ads I found on YouTube actually insists on this term: "Come on Italy, stand up! Your future is at hand! Let's work together to be free..." What's more, one the slogans of Berlusconi's party says "Forza Italia: a wish to be free". Berlusconi himself focuses on this key word during all his speeches: on 9. February 2008, for instance, the Italian right-wing candidate started his speech during a party meeting with a solemn statement: "We believe in freedom, in all kinds of freedom". Freedom is not the only value Berlusconi is symbolically using in his campaign: in all his interviews he insists on the role of the family as the most important value in Italian culture, so that giving dignity and economic certainty to Italian families seems to be one of his main goals. Religion, too, appears to be a very common value in Berlusconi's campaign: not only in many speeches and interviews does he stand up for the dogmas of the Catholic church, but he also makes use of religious symbols and concepts. On 18. February 2008, for instance, Berlusconi was interviewed at his own house in Arcore by a famous Tv journalist: on the wall behind the politician there hung a big picture of Jesus with his mother. What's more, the main goals of Berlusconi's potential new government are called "The seven Missions": in this case, too, a word which originally comes from the religious area is used for political purposes. 
Religion is present in John McCain's speeches, as well: "God bless you all" is one of the expressions he most frequently uses at the end of his meetings. In his official website his faith in God is one of the features which can make him a great leader for the American population. Compared to Berlusconi's campaign, McCain focuses especially on the ideas of courage, confidence and integrity: according to his supporters all these qualities reinforce the idea of senator McCain as a "great American hero". Analyzing his speeches I got the impression that much in his campaign is focused on this image of a national hero, an image which actually seems to have great emotional impact on the audience. In order to be a hero one has not only to be brave (as the ex soldier McCain was), but also to be honest: McCain often insists on this aspect saying that "I want to tell you the truth because this is the only way to earn your respect".
COMPARING THE VALUES
-Both candidates focuse on religious values: I think this reflects the need to give certainty to the population, and the willingness to show the candidate's moral integrity and, thus, reliability.
- McCain's campaign: the key words used in McCain's campaign concern especially the personal moral values of its candidate. Again, they aim at proving the politician's reliability.
- Berlusconi's campaign: Berlusconi does not focus on his own personal features and qualities, but he insists on those generally shared values (freedom, dignity, morality and family) in which the audience can identify itself.
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