At the National Conventions, the Words They Used

A comparison of how often speakers at the two presidential nominating conventions used different words and phrases, based on an analysis of transcripts from the Federal News Service.
Words favored
by Democrats
Words favored
by Republicans
Number of mentions per 25,000 spoken words
by Democrats and Republicans
Auto Democrats credited President Obama with the recovery of the auto industry after the 2009 bailout, while Republicans left the topic unmentioned.
Women Democrats used the word much more frequently, primarily in reference to women's health and equal pay.
Business Republicans were more likely to talk about businesses, emphasizing Mr. Romney's private-sector experience and plans to improve the economy.
Unemployment Many Republican speakers brought up the still-high unemployment rate and the number of Americans who remain jobless, while Democrats largely avoided the topic.


Excerpts from Democrats
Democrats mentioned various topics
some number of times per 25,000 words

Barack Obama
President of the United States

We're offering a better path where we — a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal, where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks, where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy, where — where we develop a hundred-year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet.

We will never forget you, and so long as I'm commander in chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. (Cheers, applause.)

My opponent — my opponent said that it was tragic to end the war in Iraq. And he won't tell us how he'll end the war in Afghanistan.

— recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which asks only, what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.

You're the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she's ever called home — (cheers, applause)

I'm hopeful because of you. The young woman I met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter — she gives me hope.

They remind me, in the words of Scripture, that ours is a future filled with hope. (Cheers.) And if you share that faith with me, if you share that hope with me, I ask you tonight for your vote.

Bill Clinton
42nd president of the United States

We were losing 750,000 jobs a month. Are we doing better than that today?

(Cheers, applause.) And the Republicans call it, derisively, "Obamacare." They say it's a government takeover, a disaster, and that if we'll just elect them, they'll repeal it.

If — (applause) — if they stay with their $5 trillion tax cut plan — in a debt reduction plan? — the arithmetic tells us, no matter what they say, one of three things is about to happen.

Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Vice president of the United States

For the rest of our life, my sister and my brothers, for the rest of our life, dad never failed to remind us that a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.

Look, Barack understood that the search for bin Laden was about a lot more than taking a monstrous leader off the battlefield.

Tom Steyer
Co-Founder of Advanced Energy Economy

I'm Tom Steyer. I'm a businessman, a professional investor and a proud Democrat.

He would gut President Obama's investments in clean energy. He wants to keep giving 4 billion taxpayer dollars to oil companies every year, the very same companies pouring millions into the outside groups backing his campaign.

Deval Patrick
Governor of Massachusetts

Business taxes were up, and business confidence was down. Our clean energy potential was stalled, and we had a structural budget deficit.

And among them — among them are the future scientists and entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, engineers, laborers and civic leaders we desperately need. For this country to rise, they must rise.

Pat Quinn
Governor of Illinois

Mitt Romney and Congressman Ryan want to take away the promise that makes Medicare Medicare. They want to give seniors a voucher that caps what Medicare will cover and then tell our seniors they're on their own for what's left.

Then he left his state 47th out of 50 states in job growth, he added $2.6 billion in debt, and on his watch government jobs grew six times faster than private sector jobs.

Richard J. Durbin
U.S. senator, Illinois

And with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the White House, we will. President Obama, your values, your vision, your commitment to justice are still worth fighting for.

John B. Nathman
Admiral, U.S. Navy, retired

Last year he challenged American businesses to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses. He and the first lady got businesses across the private sector to sign on, supported by tax credits for hiring our veterans and wounded warriors.

Brian Schweitzer
Governor of Montana

(Cheers, applause.) Clinton arithmetic. Clinton arithmetic. (Cheers, applause.) Yeah. (Cheers, applause.)

Eva Longoria
Actress

So, here's a little girl, 13 years old, who believes that she can build her American dream, and here's a president who's building an America where that dream is possible.

Xavier Becerra
U.S. representative, California

It's the heart and soul, and it resides not in the boardroom on Wall Street but in the shops and factories on Main Street.

Caroline Kennedy
Author and attorney

So let me say to the young and the young at heart: Barack Obama is only president because you worked for him, because you believed in him, because you convinced your parents to vote for him.

Kerry Washington
Actress

— our right to choose, our right to affordable, quality education, equal pay, access to health care. (Cheers, applause.)

ZACH WAHLS

(Laughter.) Otherwise, we're like any other family. We eat dinner, we go to church, we have chores. But some people don't see it that way.

Donna Edwards
U.S. representative, Maryland

And it's the same way we financed my son's college education. It's the same way middle-class parents everywhere do it.

Elizabeth Warren
Senate candidate, Massachusetts

(Cheers, applause.) President Obama believes in a level playing field. He believes in a country where nobody gets a free ride or a golden parachute, a country where anyone who has a great idea and rolls up their sleeves has a chance to build a business and anyone who works had can build some security and raise a family.

Jim Sinegal
Co-Founder of Costco

(Cheers, applause.) In Tampa last week, we heard all about job creators. But at our company, we recognize that job creation requires time and investment and commitment to the long term.

Chris Van Hollen
U.S. representative, Maryland

Mitt Romney even said he would reject a budget with $10 in spending cuts for every $1 in new revenue. And now a third grader can do the math.

Bob King
President of the United Auto Workers

Since June of 2009, this industry has added a quarter of a million jobs. And the auto industry is thriving again. (Cheers, applause.)

Cristina Saralegui
Talk show host

Wow. (Cheers, applause.) Oh my god. Wasn't that something? Muchas gracias, Benita, and muchas gracias to all the dreamers, all the young kids that study and do their homework.

Kamala D. Harris
Attorney general of California

Doing nothing while the middle class is hurting — that's not leadership. Loose regulations and lax enforcement — that's not leadership.

BILL BUTCHER

He cut small business taxes 18 times. He kept middle-class taxes low, which meant more customers for my product.

KAREN MILLS

(Cheers, applause.) And hello to all the small business owners out there. (Cheers, applause.) From day one, President Obama has made small business a top priority in his White House, giving them the tools they need to turn their dreams into small businesses and their small businesses into world-class companies, giving them help and then getting out of their way.

Sister Simone Campbell
Executive director of Network

But their budget goes astray in not acknowledging that we are responsible not only for ourselves and our immediate family; rather, our faith strongly affirms that we are all responsible for one another.

Steny Hoyer
House minority whip

Ladies and gentlemen, the decision we have to make this November is simple. Do we keep moving forward or do we join the Romney-Ryan retreat? (Boos.)

Cecile Richards
President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

(Cheers, applause.) And because of President Obama, soon women won't be denied insurance coverage because we've had breast cancer or survived sexual assault.

Nancy Pelosi
House minority leader

Working with President Obama, Democrats passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to strengthen the rights of women in the workplace.

Emanuel Cleaver II
U.S. representative, Missouri

After all, we are the ones who protected Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, who fought for fair wages and who ended "don't ask, don't tell." We are Democrats.

Charles E. Schumer
U.S. senator, New York

President Obama hasn't stopped fighting for those families, and now we need to fight for him. (Cheers, applause.) To those like Mitt Romney who want to take us backward, let us send a strong, strong message in November.

Thomas M. Menino
Mayor of Boston

The choice is clear. It's time to keep moving forward.

John A. Pérez
Speaker of the California State Assembly

President Obama is leading us through a challenging era by recognizing that the strength of America is measured in the opportunity everyone has to work hard and succeed. That's the spirit of our party and the guiding principle of our president.

Diana DeGette
U.S. representative, Colorado

But, although these restrictions on women's rights are all Republican ideas, and even in their platform, my friends across the aisle now try to change the subject. It's the economy, they cry. And you know what? They're right.

Luis V. Gutierrez
U.S. representative, Illinois

President Obama is protecting immigrants; Mitt Romney wants undocumented immigrants to self-deport. This election will determine whether high school valedictorians, football team captains and student council presidents will be treated with respect or treated like suspects, whether they reach their dreams or whether Mitt Romney turns their dreams into nightmares.

Michelle Obama
First lady

And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage.

Elaine Brye
Teacher

And if someone is there for my family and families like mine, then I'll be there for them.

Julián Castro
Mayor of San Antonio

When it comes to getting the middle class back to work, Mitt Romney says no.

Rahm Emanuel
Mayor of Chicago

In the first month in office, he fought for the American recovery act, to cut taxes for the middle class, to put people to work building America's roads, rails and runways.

Kathleen Sebelius
U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services

(Applause.) Now before, some wouldn't even cover women's most basic health needs, like contraception and maternity care, but still charged us up to 50 percent more than men for a worse plan.

Ted Strickland
Former governor of Ohio

But today, from the staggering depths of the Great Recession, the nation has had 29 straight months of job growth. (Cheers, applause.) Workers across my state and across the country are getting back to work — the dignity of having a good job and a good salary.

Joseph P. Kennedy III
Congressional candidate, Massachusetts

And he gave his best to everyone he met, whether a sick child, and injured soldier, an unemployed worker. That idea guided him through the bigger battles: to guarantee the right to organize, to end apartheid, bring peace to Northern Ireland and health care to all.

Ken Salazar
U.S. secretary of the Interior

(Applause.) Today, America's dependence on foreign oil is at its lowest point in two decades. (Cheers, applause.) The Romney-Ryan plan calls this success imaginary. They say renewable energy is a fad.

Charlie Gonzalez
U.S. representative, Texas

We've worked — we have worked for the American dream. Now we have to vote for the American dream. And when we do, we will re-elect Barack Obama as president of the United States.

Nydia Velázquez
U.S. representative, New York

President Obama has walked with seniors. President Obama's health care law won the support of the AARP because it strengthened Medicare without cutting benefits and helped millions of seniors with free preventive care and more affordable prescription drugs.

Barbara Lee
U.S. representative, California

Republicans will raise taxes on low income and the middle class to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. (Boos.) They'll end the fundamental guarantee of Medicare that people have earned.

Due to a large number of mentions, only a sampling of excerpts are shown.


Excerpts from Republicans
Republicans mentioned various topics
some number of times per 25,000 words

Mitt Romney
Presidential nominee

God bless Neil Armstrong. (Cheers, applause.)

He led a great — (cheers, applause) — he led a great automobile company and became governor of the great state of Michigan.

When it comes to the school your child will attend, every parent should have a choice and every child should have a chance. (Cheers, applause.)

And fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order and Seal Team 6 took out Osama bin Laden. (Cheers, applause.) On another front, every American is less secure today because he has failed to slow Iran's nuclear threat.

Paul D. Ryan
Vice-presidential nominee

(Laughter.) Those were very tough days, and any fair measure of his record has to take that into account.

Here we were, faced with a massive job crisis so deep that if everyone out of work stood in single file, that unemployment line would stretch the length of the entire American continent.

Though she felt lost at times, we did all the little things that made her feel loved. We had help from Medicare, and it was there, just like it's there for my mom today.

in new debt. (Boos.) He created a new bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report.

Not only a defender of marriage, he — he offers an example of marriage at its best. (Cheers, applause.) Not only a fine businessman, he's a fine man — (cheers, applause)

Rick Santorum
Former U.S. senator, Pennsylvania

When my grandfather died, I remembered as a kid kneeling at his casket and not being able to take my eyes off his thick, strong hands, hands that dug his path in life and gave his family a chance at living the American dream. Working the mines may not have been the dream he ever dreamed.

Under President Obama, the dream of freedom and opportunity has become a nightmare of dependency, with almost half of America receiving some sort of government assistance. It's no surprise fewer and fewer Americans are achieving their dreams and more and more parents are concerned their children won't realize theirs.

(Cheers, applause.) Yet as my family and I crisscrossed America, something became so obvious to us: America is still the greatest country in the world, and with God's help and good leadership, we can restore the American dream.

Sean Duffy
U.S. representative, Wisconsin

These labs focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics and help students learn proficiency in these fields.

It is a vote for fiscal sanity and responsibility in Washington, and it is a vote to put America back to work. Let's get it done.

Mike Huckabee
Former governor of Arkansas

No, we are mutual opponents of the miserably failed experiments that have put this country in a downward spiral.

Of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is Barack Obama, and he supports changing the definition of marriage, believes that human life is disposable and expendable at any time in the womb, even beyond the womb, and he tells people of faith that they have to bow their knees to the god of government and violate their faith and conscience in order to comply with what he calls health care.

Rob Portman
U.S. senator, Ohio

And I'm delighted to be here tonight to talk about the fundamental differences between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama when it comes to understanding our economy. Let's begin by talking about something the Democrats love to demonize: Mitt Romney's success in the private sector.

He's proposing new policies that will give poor and middle-class families opportunities and hope for the future.

Brian Sandoval
Governor of Nevada

It is the story of America itself, of courageous, freedom-loving visionaries who believed in the promise of opportunity, rather than the divine right of kings; who dared to dream that anyone could rise above the circumstances of their birth.

And like Republicans all across this nation, I chose to make the tough decisions on issues like economic development, education reform and redesigning how state government operates, on job creation and reducing state spending and eliminating red tape. It hasn't been easy, and we're not through it yet.

Mary Fallin
Governor of Oklahoma

And by the way, the selection of Wisconsin — Paul Ryan to be his running mate — (cheers) — is an excellent choice.

I am proud to support his candidacy for president, and as the next leader of the free world, Mitt Romney will make us all very proud.

Kelly Ayotte
U.S. senator, New Hampshire

He'll work to eliminate job-killing red tape. And he will roll back "Obamacare" starting on day one. (Cheers, applause.)

I want you to hear from someone who is directly on the front lines of small business. Jack Gilchrist is a small-business owner from Hudson, New Hampshire.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers
U.S. representative, Washington

Unlike President Obama, I know that small businesses are the true engine of our economy, not big government.

They will tell us how their job creators in their communities aren't found in the statehouse; they're found on Main Street.

Sharon Day
Republican National Committee co-chair

We have a president that has bypassed the Senate confirmation process in order to appoint unaccountable czars to make and enforce policies on America's citizens, a president that by his executive action has changed immigration laws, imposed unconstitutional burdens on our states and issued overreaching regulations.

We know the problem, America. Their names are Obama, Biden, Pelosi and Holder. What they have done and will continue to do should Obama be re-elected runs contrary to the values we believe in and the principles we stand for.

Marco Rubio
U.S. senator, Florida

Yes, we live in a troubled time, but the story of those who came before us reminds us that America has always been about new beginnings, and Mitt Romney is running for president because he knows that if we are willing to do for our children what our parents did for us, life in America can be better than it has ever been. (Cheers, applause.)

KIM RHODE

From the time when I walked into the Olympic Games in Atlanta as a wide-eyed 16-year-old, to the moment a few weeks ago when I heard our national anthem played in London as a seasoned veteran, I've seen our country both prosper, and more recently, falter.

DEREK PARRA

As our national anthem rang out like never before, I stood there holding that flag, the symbol of everything our country had ever been through, with tears streaming down my face.

GRANT BENNETT

Mitt seldom delivered the sermon himself; he gave that opportunity to fellow church members. He sought to involve everyone so everyone could grow.

Jeb Bush
Former governor of Florida

If you're a great teacher and your students are mastering their subjects, no matter your age or years of experience, you should have a job. Education is hard work, but if you follow some core principles and you challenge the status quo, you can get great results.

FRANTZ PLACIDE

I've graduated from Wagner College, and I'm looking forward to a life of learning and serving my community.

Newt Gingrich
Former speaker of the House of Representatives

For example, both crippled American energy production when there were better ways to develop and use our abundant energy resources. The Romney plan for North American energy independence is exactly the kind of bold visionary leadership Reagan believed in, and it is what we need now.

Susana Martinez
Governor of New Mexico

"El sueno americano es tener exito." (Cheers, applause.) Is success — it is success, and success is the American dream.

Condoleezza Rice
Former Secretary of State

(Applause.) We must not allow the chance to attain energy independence to slip from our grasp. We are blessed with a gift of oil and gas resources here in North America, and we must develop them.

MICHELLE VOORHEIS

Under his administration, the regulations and restrictions that he is placing on the banks have caused them to stop lending money.

TAD TRUE

We need a president that understands that we need all of that energy, all of that oil, all of those jobs. And we need a president that understands that America needs that pipeline.

Pam Bondi
Attorney general of Florida

The court agreed that the Constitution does not allow the federal government to force states to adopt a budget-busting expansion of Medicaid.

John McCain
U.S. senator, Arizona

His own secretary of defense has said that cutting our military by nearly a trillion dollars would be devastating, and yet the president is playing no leadership role in preventing this crippling blow to our military. A wise congressman from Wisconsin has said: Our fiscal policy and our foreign policy are on a collision course.

Mitch McConnell
Senate Republican leader

It is the result of the policies that Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress spent two full years carefully putting into place, and which they are determined to continue if they win again.

Chris Christie
Governor of New Jersey

(Cheers, applause.) Here's what they believe. They believe seniors will always put themselves ahead of their grandchildren.

Ann Romney
Wife of Mitt Romney

I'm not sure if men really understand this, but I don't think there's a woman in America who really expects her life to be easy.

Nikki Haley
Governor of South Carolina

(Cheers, applause.) And not too long ago, The Wall Street Journal said anyone still thinking the U.S.

Artur Davis
U.S. representative, Alabama

(Cheers.) When you hear the party that glorified Occupy Wall Street blast success, when you hear them minimize the genius of the men and women who make jobs out of nothing, is that what you teach your children about work?

Ted Cruz
Senate candidate, Texas

(Applause.) And yet this administration has waged a war on small businesses, a war that is costing our future and our opportunity.

Scott Walker
Governor of Wisconsin

On June 5th, voters in Wisconsin were asked to choose between going backwards to the days of double-digit tax increases, billion- dollar budget deficits and record job loss, or moving forward with reforms that lowered the tax burden, balanced the budget and helped small businesses create more jobs.

Andy Barr
Congressional candidate, Kentucky

(Cheers, applause.) And together, we are going to fight to save your job. Thank you very much. (Cheers, applause.)

John Archer
Congressional candidate, Iowa

— greetings to the Iowa delegation and greetings to all the great people in the state of Iowa. Hope and change were elected four years ago. And where has that gotten us?

Jackie Walorski
State representative, Indiana

In the face of record unemployment, we understood that more government spending will not create jobs. That's why we passed common-sense reforms that made it easier to do business and create jobs in our great state.

Keith Rothfus
Congressional candidate, Pennsylvania

Having developed and survived a very rare form of cancer that kills 75 percent of its victims within five years, I know all too well the importance of a health care system that empowers the doctor- patient relationship and respects the decisions of the family.

Bob Buckhorn
Mayor of Tampa

They were cigar rollers, port workers, cattle rustlers. They were the economic engine that powered Tampa Bay.

Due to a large number of mentions, only a sampling of excerpts are shown.