rhetoric

The art or study of using language effectively or persuasively

Rhetoric, as an issue, is not meant in the widely used unfavorable sense.  When used to mean the issue of political speech, of persuasion for good or ill, of debate, of argument, of convincing, rhetoric is not used with a negative connotation.  Nor a positive one.  “Rhetoric” is neutral, and it is crucial.  One hopes rhetoric, in practice, is not neutral in that given a full hearing and healthy argument that truth, and the values of justice and freedom and some real way of ensuring them, would win out.  But the art of persuasion can be used for bad ends, and so this use of language must be studied to make more effective arguments in favor of good.  Thus, the issue of rhetoric.

So I start with Hitler.