"A discovered dissembler can achieve nothing great"; or, four theses on the death of presidential rhetoric in an age of empire.(Essay): An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly
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PublisherThomson Gale
ISBN / ASINB00108PV78
ISBN-13978B00108PV72
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This digital document is an article from Presidential Studies Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2007. The length of the article is 13088 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the author: Because of the explosion of mass media, we have entered a new age of white noise; because of the disastrous extension of U.S. imperial ambitions, we have entered a new age of political deception; when these two historical factors are combined with the peculiar communicative habits of President George W. Bush, Americans are left with what we call a post-rhetorical presidency. This is an anti-democratic condition wherein presidential discourse is not meant to mobilize, educate, and uplift the masses; rather, by marshaling ubiquitous public chatter, waves of disinformation, and cascades of confusion-causing misdirection, post-rhetorical presidential discourse attempts to confuse public opinion, prevent citizen action, and frustrate citizen deliberation. Under these new conditions, the president defines fantasy, not reality; he numbs citizens rather than energizing them; instead of informing and teaching, he chooses to dumb down and stupefy. We pursue this thesis by offering four philosophical theses and three rhetorical case studies of the president's public speaking, thus combining critical theory and rhetorical criticism to help map what may represent the death of democracy.
Citation Details
Title: "A discovered dissembler can achieve nothing great"; or, four theses on the death of presidential rhetoric in an age of empire.(Essay)
Author: Stephen John Hartnett
Publication:Presidential Studies Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Page: 599(23)
Article Type: Essay
Distributed by Thomson Gale
From the author: Because of the explosion of mass media, we have entered a new age of white noise; because of the disastrous extension of U.S. imperial ambitions, we have entered a new age of political deception; when these two historical factors are combined with the peculiar communicative habits of President George W. Bush, Americans are left with what we call a post-rhetorical presidency. This is an anti-democratic condition wherein presidential discourse is not meant to mobilize, educate, and uplift the masses; rather, by marshaling ubiquitous public chatter, waves of disinformation, and cascades of confusion-causing misdirection, post-rhetorical presidential discourse attempts to confuse public opinion, prevent citizen action, and frustrate citizen deliberation. Under these new conditions, the president defines fantasy, not reality; he numbs citizens rather than energizing them; instead of informing and teaching, he chooses to dumb down and stupefy. We pursue this thesis by offering four philosophical theses and three rhetorical case studies of the president's public speaking, thus combining critical theory and rhetorical criticism to help map what may represent the death of democracy.
Citation Details
Title: "A discovered dissembler can achieve nothing great"; or, four theses on the death of presidential rhetoric in an age of empire.(Essay)
Author: Stephen John Hartnett
Publication:Presidential Studies Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Page: 599(23)
Article Type: Essay
Distributed by Thomson Gale
