In a profound revelation of what truly undergirds modern political rhetoric, Morgan Marietta shows that the language of America’s leaders often relies on deep, even sacred, ideals. The Politics of Sacred Rhetoric is a comprehensive and detailed survey of the rhetorical tactics employed even among the highest government offices as tools of political persuasion. Through careful analysis of the use of absolutist claims—and appeals to what a speaker deems to be universal truths—Marietta uncovers the sometimes subtle ways in which politicians employ this ‘sacred rhetoric’ and demonstrates its impact on citizens’ reasoning, public discourse, and the very nature of American democracy.
Зміст
List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I: The Psychology of Sacred Rhetoric
1 Sacred Rhetoric in American Politics
2 Values and Value Conflict, Sacred Values and Sacred Rhetoric
3 The Reasoning Effect: Sacred Rhetoric and Deliberation
4 The Activation Effect: Sacred Rhetoric and Participation
PART II: Political Consequences of Sacred Rhetoric
5 ‘From My Cold, Dead Hands’: Sacred Rhetoric and Social Movements
6 The Absolutist Advantage: Sacred Rhetoric in the Bush Era
7 Sacred Rhetoric from Carter to Clinton: The 1976–1996 Presidential Debates
8 Sacred Rhetoric, the 2008 Campaigns, and the Democratic Party
Conclusion: ‘A Cure for Thought and the Diseases It Breeds’
Methodological Appendix: Subjects, an Experimental Approach
Notes
References
Index
Про автора
Morgan Marietta is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.