Nixon used these guide-lining principles to steer his way in the short 48-hour period he had to compose his speech. The principal way these purposes were achieved was through the application of the three Aristotelian modes of proof: ethos, pathos and logos (Cathcart 45). .
The primary Aristotelian proof Nixon used to appeal to his audience was ethos, or credibility. In a sense, the purpose of the "Checkers Speech" was to reaffirm Nixon's status as a reputable politician the public could put their faith in. Robert Cathcart more precisely defined ethos as "the image that receivers have of the communicator as an expert source with a capacity for leadership and decision making and as one who can be trusted" (46). Nixon's credibility was gone as far as the American public was concerned until he cleared his name of the allegations he had used $16,000 of private funds given to him by outside donors. .
In order to prove his credibility Nixon decided to show the American people that the fund was morally defensible. In order to prove this, Nixon outlined his total income and expenditures from the time he was born until that moment. In this listed discourse of his assets Nixon included his wife's "respectable Republican cloth coat" and the "little cocker spaniel dog" named Checkers for whom the speech would later be named ("Nixon" 6-7). These are two of the most famous references in the speech, and they gave Nixon a commonplace, all-American appeal that many people in the country could relate to.
Another tactic Nixon uses to prove his credibility is the testimony of reputable organizations. By noting sources like "the audit made by Price Waterhouse & Co. firm," and the "legal opinion [of] Gibson, Dunn & Krutcher," Nixon proves to the audience that what he is saying is indeed factual ("Nixon" 4). He provides legitimate evidence that he is not employing any illegal tactics to obtain campaign finance, and in turn he establishes a high level of ethos in his character.
