Political Rhetoric: A Presidential Briefing Book

by Mary E. Stuckey

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412856812
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/30/2015
Series:	Presidential Briefings Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Mary E. Stuckey is professor of communication and political science at Georgia State University. She is the author of nine other books, including The Good Neighbor: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Rhetoric of American Power.

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Communicating the Presidency1 The Public, the Media, and the Presidency2 Rhetoric from an Institutional Perspective3 Managing Rhetorical OpportunitiesConclusion: Presidents and Their RhetoricBibliography

Editorial Reviews

Mary Stuckey has set a high bar for the Presidential Briefings series with her brilliant discussion of rhetoric. This volume is must-reading for anyone interested in this oft-overlooked aspect of presidential leadership and will be especially helpful for those seeking to lead the free world.” — Chris Fettweis, Tulane University

From the Publisher