Article
The context-embeddedness of political discourse : a re-evaluation of Reagan's rhetoric in the 1982 midterm election campaign.
Presidential Studies Quarterly
(1984)
Abstract
Until recently, most political scientists downplayed the role of rhetoric in determining the outcome of election campaigns. However, in the last few years a number of commentators have concluded that rhetoric is one of the crucial determinants of political success. In this view for example, much of the blame for Republican losses in the 1982 mid-term campaign lies with President Reagan for failing to deal with the unemployment issue. While rhetoric plays an undeniably important role in politics we believe that some analysts underestimate the importance of situational factors in influencing political rhetoric. The 1982 campaign illustrates this position. No President could have removed unemployment from the political agenda in 1982. Reagan recognized this fact and adapted his rhetoric to mitigating the impact of the unemployment issue on potential Republican voters. As a result, the Republicans avoided a possible Democratic landslide. The major theoretical conclusion to be drawn from this analysis is that although rhetoric is a powerful political tool, its effectiveness is strictly limited by context.
Keywords
- Political Rhetoric,
- Election Campaigning,
- Reagan Era
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall 1984
Citation Information
Robert C. Rowland and Rodger A Payne. "The context-embeddedness of political discourse : a re-evaluation of Reagan's rhetoric in the 1982 midterm election campaign." Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 14 Iss. 4 (1984) p. 500 - 511 ISSN: 1741-5705 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rodger-payne/26/