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| Campaign Talk
ISBN: 9781400823451
Platform/Publisher: Project MUSE / Princeton University Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Chapters; Download: Chapters
Subjects: Elections; Political campaigns; Political oratory;
Some observers today consider electoral politics a cesspool of money and negativity, but political scientist Hart maintains that there is "ample reason for reconsidering, perhaps even celebrating, political campaigns." This upbeat assessment is founded on a careful look at language. By breaking campaigns down into three "voices"--press, people and politicians--and analyzing each element through a specialized computer program, patterns in word choices are revealed that say a lot about what candidates offer and what people desire. Hart discovers, for example, that in the acceptance speeches delivered by Bob Dole and Bill Clinton at their respective party conventions, Dole referred to people only nine times and repeatedly used the language of the Washington insider, whereas Clinton referred to people 21 times and used the words neighborhoods, fellow, children, home and parents. The seeds of the Dole campaign's fate are apparent to Hart: why did he "stress soldier, violent, and forces during a placid time, or... man when his party faced a yawning gender gap?" Similar analyses of media reports and letters to the editor fill in data for what Hart considers the voices of the press and the people. Hart recognizes that the conversations represented by political campaigns are "often superficial and occasionally degrading," but he remains optimistic, insisting that campaigns produce engagement--at least sometimes--and that generally they have "served the nation well." Readers may not be ready to embrace electoral politics as a national treasure, but Hart's suggestion that at least something positive can be gleaned from the campaign trail is reassuring. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and is Professor of Government at the University of Texas, Austin, where he also serves as director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation. He is the author of numerous works, including The Sound of Leadership, Modern Rhetorical Criticism, and Seducing America: How Television Charms the Modern Voter . He has been named a Research Fellow of the International Communication Association and a Distinguished Scholar by the National Communication Association. |
