Venomous Speech

Problems with American Political Discourse on the Right and Left [2 volumes]

Clarke Rountree

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780313398667
• eBook ISBN: 9798216161561
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Ideologies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Is much of the current dysfunction in our political system attributable to the problematic discourse of politicians, pundits, and journalists? These authors on legal and political discourse say yes.

This book contains essays by some of the best scholars of political communication that examine modern-day American political discourse. The contributors address what is problematic in our political discourse and what has resulted in unprecedented levels of gridlock, discord, and hostility, covering everything from the incivility of Congress to the spectacle of celebrity politicians… the arrogance of Republican and Democratic presidents to the difficulties of grassroots groups hoping to change the status quo… and the partisan shaping of news coverage to the growing influence of political comedians.

This work provides a frank, hard-nosed look at what needs fixing, offers a critical lens from knowledgeable writers to help those frustrated with our political system to better understand why our discourse is so troubled, and lays out suggestions for reclaiming the commonwealth. Anyone interested in politics, government, or communication will benefit from learning how recent developments have created a "perfect storm" that is troubling the waters of our democracy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Finding Consensual Fact in Political Debate
• Chapter 2. A Dialogue of the Deaf: Obama, His Congressional Critics, and Incivility in American Political Discourse
• Chapter 3. Intransigence and Self-Justification as a Political Way of Life
• Chapter 4. Contesting the So-Called Postracial Landscape of Presidential Politics: Obama, African Americans, and a Shifting Electorate
• Chapter 5. Where Is the Democratic Narrative, FDR Style?
• Chapter 6. Presidential Policies and Discourses on the Environment in the Past Decades: A Social Scientific Analysis
• Chapter 7. Mudslinging: The Nature of Attacks in Political Campaigns
• Chapter 8. Citizens Undone: Freedom of Speech, Political Discourse, and the Import of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
• Chapter 9. The Frightening State of Political Discourse: A Case Study of the Use of Fear in the 2012 GOP Primary
• Chapter 10. Direct Attacks in the 2008 Presidential Debates
• Chapter 11. Social Media, the GOP, and Campaign 2012
• Chapter 12. Strong Front-Runner, Weak Woman: Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Politics of Pile On
• Chapter 13. Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage: A Dual-Issue Frame That Begins on the Political Right and Ends in Your Newspaper
• Chapter 14. Gendered Journalism: Language Differences between Female and Male Journalists in The New York Times’ 2008 Coverage of Hillary Clinton
• Chapter 15. O’Reilly’s War on the War on Christmas: Diatribe, Culture War, and Conservative Ideology
• Chapter 16. An Alternative Sense of Humor: The Problems with Crossing Comedy and Politics in Public Discourse
• Chapter 17. Rush Limbaugh’s Address at the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference: President Barack Obama as Liberal and Enemy
• Chapter 18. I’m Not a Celebrity, but I Play One on Late Night TV: The Problem with Politicians and Celebrity
• Chapter 19. A Stab in the Eye of America or A Center for Multi-Faith Dialogue? Ideology and Contested Rhetorics Surrounding the Proposed Muslim Community Center near New York City’s Ground Zero
• Chapter 20. Occupy Citizenship: Economic Crisis and the Emergence of a Twenty-First-Century Social Movement
• Chapter 21. Reframing Dissent: The Pittsburgh G20 and the Growing Challenges for Protest
• Chapter 22. A Catalog of Problematic Political Discourse, 2007–2012
• Afterword: Reconstituting the Commonweal and Civil Society
• About the Contributors
• Index