The Moral Rhetoric Of American Presidents

Author : Colleen J. Shogan
Publisher : Texas A&M University Press
Page : 237 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : History
ISBN : 9781603444590

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The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents by Colleen J. Shogan Pdf

Although sometimes decried by pundits, George W. Bush?s use of moral and religious rhetoric is far from unique in the American presidency. Throughout history and across party boundaries, presidents have used such appeals, with varying degrees of political success. The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents astutely analyzes the president?s role as the nation?s moral spokesman.?Armed with quantitative methods from political science and the qualitative case study approach prevalent in rhetorical studies, Colleen J. Shogan demonstrates that moral and religious rhetoric is not simply a reflection of individual character or an expression of American "civil religion" but a strategic tool presidents can use to enhance their constitutional authority.?To determine how the use of moral rhetoric has changed over time, Shogan employs content analysis of the inaugural and annual addresses of all the presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush. This quantitative evidence shows that while presidents of both parties have used moral and religious arguments, the frequency has fluctuated considerably and the language has become increasingly detached from relevant policy arguments.?Shogan explores the political effects of the rhetorical choices presidents make through nine historical cases (Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Buchanan, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Carter). She shows that presidents who adapt their rhetoric to the political conditions at hand enhance their constitutional authority, while presidents who ignore political constraints suffer adverse political consequences. The case studies allow Shogan to highlight the specific political circumstances that encourage or discourage the use of moral rhetoric.?Shogan concludes with an analysis of several dilemmas of governance instigated by George W. Bush?s persistent devotion to moral and religious argumentation.

Author : Colleen J. Shogan
Publisher : Texas A&M University Press
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2007-09-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1585446394

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The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents by Colleen J. Shogan Pdf

Although sometimes decried by pundits, George W. Bush’s use of moral and religious rhetoric is far from unique in the American presidency. Throughout history and across party boundaries, presidents have used such appeals, with varying degrees of political success. The Moral Rhetoric of American Presidents astutely analyzes the president’s role as the nation’s moral spokesman. Armed with quantitative methods from political science and the qualitative case study approach prevalent in rhetorical studies, Colleen J. Shogan demonstrates that moral and religious rhetoric is not simply a reflection of individual character or an expression of American “civil religion” but a strategic tool presidents can use to enhance their constitutional authority. To determine how the use of moral rhetoric has changed over time, Shogan employs content analysis of the inaugural and annual addresses of all the presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush. This quantitative evidence shows that while presidents of both parties have used moral and religious arguments, the frequency has fluctuated considerably and the language has become increasingly detached from relevant policy arguments. Shogan explores the political effects of the rhetorical choices presidents make through nine historical cases (Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Buchanan, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Carter). She shows that presidents who adapt their rhetoric to the political conditions at hand enhance their constitutional authority, while presidents who ignore political constraints suffer adverse political consequences. The case studies allow Shogan to highlight the specific political circumstances that encourage or discourage the use of moral rhetoric. Shogan concludes with an analysis of several dilemmas of governance instigated by George W. Bush’s persistent devotion to moral and religious argumentation.

Author : Justin S. Vaughn,Jennifer Mercieca
Publisher : Texas A&M University Press
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2014-01-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781623490423

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The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations by Justin S. Vaughn,Jennifer Mercieca Pdf

Campaign rhetoric helps candidates to get elected, but its effects last well beyond the counting of the ballots; this was perhaps never truer than in Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Did Obama create such high expectations that they actually hindered his ability to enact his agenda? Should we judge his performance by the scale of the expectations his rhetoric generated, or against some other standard? The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency grapples with these and other important questions. Barack Obama’s election seemed to many to fulfill Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the “long arc of the moral universe . . . bending toward justice.” And after the terrorism, war, and economic downturn of the previous decade, candidate Obama’s rhetoric cast broad visions of a change in the direction of American life. In these and other ways, the election of 2008 presented an especially strong example of creating expectations that would shape the public’s views of the incoming administration. The public’s high expectations, in turn, become a part of any president’s burden upon assuming office. The interdisciplinary scholars who have contributed to this volume focus their analysis upon three kinds of presidential burdens: institutional burdens (specific to the office of the presidency); contextual burdens (specific to the historical moment within which the president assumes office); and personal burdens (specific to the individual who becomes president).

Author : David Ryfe
Publisher : Peter Lang
Page : 268 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0820474568

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Presidents in Culture by David Ryfe Pdf

Whether writing from the perspective of rhetoric or political science, scholars of presidential communication often assume that the ultimate meaning of presidential rhetoric lies in whether it achieves policy success. In this book, David Michael Ryfe argues that although presidential rhetoric has many meanings, one of the most important is how it rhetorically constructs the practice of presidential communication itself. Drawing upon an examination of presidential rhetoric in the twentieth century - from Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin D. Roosevelt, from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton - Ryfe surveys the shifting meaning of presidential communication. In doing so, he reveals that the so-called public or rhetorical presidency is not one fixed entity, but rather a continuously negotiated discursive construct.

Author : Theodore Windt,Beth Ingold
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 616 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : History
ISBN : UVA:X002404519

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Essays in Presidential Rhetoric by Theodore Windt,Beth Ingold Pdf

Author : Colleen E. Kelley
Publisher : Lexington Studies in Political Communication
Page : 348 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UOM:39015070748945

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Post-9/11 American Presidential Rhetoric by Colleen E. Kelley Pdf

Post-9/11 American Presidential Rhetoric examines the communication offensive orchestrated by George W. Bush and the members of his administration between the initial terrorism crisis of September 11, 2001, and the March 20, 2003, invasion of Iraq. Colleen Elizabeth Kelley argues that the president relied on a set of particular strategies that coalesced into protofascist talk in order to discursively manage the post-9/11 situation and justify its 2003 war against Iraq. This book suggests a framework for analyzing emergent fascist public discourse and its potential for producing additional substantial antidemocratic speech and action. Kelley further reviews the role of the media in conveying President Bush's rhetorical doctrine to the American public. The rhetoric of democratic discourse is presented as a firewall to guarantee that such speech-based behaviors, which are endorsed by willing publics and developed within democracies, fail to thrive and do not destroy the very systems that enabled them in the first place. Post-9/11 American Presidential Rhetoric is a stimulating text that will strike up discussion among scholars of political communication and those interested in cultural studies.

Author : Justin S. Vaughn,Jennifer R. Mercieca
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 279 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Presidents
ISBN : 146195827X

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The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations by Justin S. Vaughn,Jennifer R. Mercieca Pdf

Campaign rhetoric helps candidates to get elected, but its effects last well beyond the counting of the ballots; this was perhaps never truer than in Barack Obama's 2008 campaign. Did Obama create such high expectations that they actually hindered his ability to enact his agenda? Should we judge his performance by the scale of the expectations his rhetoric generated, or against some other standard? The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency grapples with these and other important questions. Barack Obama's election seemed to many to fulfill Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of the "long arc of the moral universe ... bending toward justice." And after the terrorism, war, and economic downturn of the previous decade, candidate Obama's rhetoric cast broad visions of a change in the direction of American life. In these and other ways, the election of 2008 presented an especially strong example of creating expectations that would shape the public's views of the incoming administration. The public's high expectations, in turn, become a part of any president's burden upon assuming office. The interdisciplinary scholars who have contributed to this volume focus their analysis upon three kinds of presidential burdens: institutional burdens (specific to the office of the presidency); contextual burdens (specific to the historical moment within which the president assumes office); and personal burdens (specific to the individual who becomes president).--Publisher description.

Author : Gleaves Whitney
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0739103938

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American Presidents by Gleaves Whitney Pdf

This unique collection presents the parting words of the presidents of the United States, from Washington to Clinton. A hybrid of literary masterpiece and historical document, each speech reveals its orator's ideals for the government of our nation. Washington warns against entangling alliances; Eisenhower voices his fears of the military-industrial complex; Reagan leaves office with an emotional call for the remembrance of American history in service of informed patriotism. Each leader imparts his final message in the form of a political or moral lesson--or, in some cases, prophecy. Read consecutively from president to president, the messages form a wonderfully American conversation. This conversation invokes ordered liberty, self-government under the rule of law, and the nation's special destiny in human history, and it transcends partisan politics.The volume is prefaced by a detailed introduction discussing the importance of the valedictory address and the power of presidential rhetoric, and each speech is preceded by a brief contextualizing statement. In the last official words of each president, readers will find cautions, hopes, and suggestions relevant for today's world and future generations. American Presidents is an invaluable reference, especially for scholars of the presidency, but also for anyone interested in the history, politics, and culture of the United States.

Author : George C. Edwards III,William G. Howell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 892 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2011-08-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199604418

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The Oxford Handbook of the American Presidency by George C. Edwards III,William G. Howell Pdf

With engaging, new contributions from major figures in the field, 'The Oxford Handbook of the American Presidency' provides the key point of reference for anyone working in American politics today.

Author : Raymond Tatalovich,Steven E Schier
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2014-12-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317455189

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The Presidency and Political Science: Paradigms of Presidential Power from the Founding to the Present: 2014 by Raymond Tatalovich,Steven E Schier Pdf

This history of presidential studies surveys the views of leading thinkers and scholars about the constitutional powers of the highest office in the land from the founding to the present.

Author : Martin J. Medhurst
Publisher : Texas A&M University Press
Page : 402 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2008-01-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1585446270

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The Prospect of Presidential Rhetoric by Martin J. Medhurst Pdf

Culminating a decade of conferences that have explored presidential speech, The Prospect of Presidential Rhetoric assesses progress and suggests directions for both the practice of presidential speech and its study. In Part One, following an analytic review of the field by Martin Medhurst, contributors address the state of the art in their own areas of expertise. Roderick P. Hart then summarizes their work in the course of his rebuttal of an argument made by political scientist George Edwards: that presidential rhetoric lacks political impact. Part Two of the volume consists of the forward-looking reports of six task forces, comprising more than forty scholars, charged with outlining the likely future course of presidential rhetoric, as well as the major questions scholars should ask about it and the tools at their disposal. The Prospect of Presidential Rhetoric will serve as a pivotal work for students and scholars of public discourse and the presidency who seek to understand the shifting landscape of American political leadership.

Author : Jeffrey Friedman,Shterna Friedman
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 311 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2013-09-13
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781135755911

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Rethinking the Rhetorical Presidency by Jeffrey Friedman,Shterna Friedman Pdf

In The Rhetorical Presidency, Jeffrey Tulis argues that the president’s relationship to the public has changed dramatically since the Constitution was enacted: while previously the president avoided any discussions of public policy so as to avoid demagoguery, the president is now expected to go directly to the public, using all the tools of rhetoric to influence public policy. This has effectively created a "second" Constitution that has been layered over, and in part contradicts, the original one. In our volume, scholars from different subfields of political science extend Tulis’s perspective to the judiciary and Congress; locate the origins of the constitutional change in the Progressive Era; highlight the role of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and the mass media in transforming the presidency; discuss the nature of demagoguery and whether, in fact, rhetoric is undesirable; and relate the rhetorical presidency to the public’s ignorance of the workings of a government more complex than the Founders imagined. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society.

Author : Mary E. Stuckey
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
Page : 125 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2015-06-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781412856317

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Political Rhetoric by Mary E. Stuckey Pdf

Rhetoric is among the most important and least understood elements of presidential leadership. Presidents have always wielded rhetoric as one tool of governance—and that rhetoric was always intended to facilitate political ends, such as image building, persuasion of the mass public, and inter-branch government persuasion. But as mass media has grown and then fragmented, as the federal bureaucracy has continued to both expand and calcify, and as partisanship has heightened tensions both within Congress and between Congress and the Executive, rhetoric is an increasingly important element of presidential governance. Scholars have derived ways to explain how these developments and the presidents’ use of rhetoric have contributed to and detracted from the health of American democracy. This briefing book offers a succinct reflection on the ways in which historical developments have encouraged the use of political rhetoric. It explores strategies of “going public” to provide some leverage over the political system and the lessons one might derive from these choices. This essential analysis, written for lay readers, scholars, students, and future presidents, is the first in Transaction’s innovative Presidential Briefings series. Mary E. Stuckey covers the scholarly literature with authority and offers examples of rhetoric that have lasting influence.

Author : David O'Connell
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 318 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2017-07-05
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351517119

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God Wills it by David O'Connell Pdf

God Wills It is a comprehensive study of presidential religious rhetoric. Using careful analysis of hundreds of transcripts, David O'Connell reveals the hidden strategy behind presidential religious speech. He asks when and why religious language is used, and when it is, whether such language is influential.Case studies explore the religious arguments presidents have made to defend their decisions on issues like defense spending, environmental protection, and presidential scandals. O'Connell provides strong evidence that when religious rhetoric is used public opinion typically goes against the president, the media reacts harshly to his words, and Congress fails to do as he wants. An experimental chapter casts even further doubt on the persuasiveness of religious rhetoric.God Wills It shows that presidents do not talk this way because they want to. Presidents like Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush were quite uncomfortable using faith to promote their agendas. They did so because they felt they must. God Wills It shows that even if presidents attempt to call on the deity, the more important question remains: Will God come when they do?

Author : Joseph S. Nye
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : POLITICAL SCIENCE
ISBN : 9780190935962

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Do Morals Matter? by Joseph S. Nye Pdf

What is the role of ethics in American foreign policy? The Trump Administration has elevated this from a theoretical question to front-page news. Should ethics even play a role, or should we only focus on defending our material interests? In Do Morals Matter? Joseph S. Nye provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have-and have not-incorporated ethics into their foreign policy. Nye examines each presidency during theAmerican era post-1945 and scores them on the success they achieved in implementing an ethical foreign policy. Alongside this, he evaluates their leadership qualities, explaining which approaches work and which ones do not.