Words chosen are a direct reflection of the universe one chooses to represent to others. Word frequencies can tell us in a concrete way what a speaker is most concerned about.
In both the first debate and the victory and concession speeches for the 2008 US presidential election, the most frequent word Senator John McCain used was I. The most frequent word Senator/President-elect Obama used was We.
Here is how it breaks down in terms of an I-versus-We orientation for each candidate, including a ratio of how many times the word I was used in comparison to the word We.
Obama First Debate
I and related terms = 172
We and related terms = 338
RATIO of I to We = .509
McCain First Debate
I and related terms = 218
We and related terms = 150
RATIO of I to We = 1.45
Obama Victory
I and related terms = 41
We and related terms = 88
RATIO of I to We = .466
McCain Concession
I and related terms = 70
We and related terms = 18
RATIO of I to We = 3.889
Language reflects, and communicates with specific words. Chosen words and the most-often/frequently used tell tales. It is tempting to skip to tales' ends from these examples from the US presidential contest. Yet need we be tempted to study this much further? Not really.
America chose its next president. The choice was at least in part because of what (who) the candidate appeared to be most concerned about before and just after the election.
New histories are being worded as we speak.
