Political rhetoric

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• SOURCE: Talking Points Memo
  11/30/2022
  

  From Rugged Individualists to Aggrieved Victims: The Rhetorical Trajectory of the Right

  by Paul Elliott Johnson

  Forms of grievance and victimhood have always been central to far-right politics. Only recently have mainstream conservative politicians felt free to embrace them without coming off as whiners. 

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• SOURCE: Mother Jones
  4/5/2021
  

  “Taxpayer Dollars”: The Origins of Austerity’s Racist Catchphrase

  by Camille Walsh

  The rhetoric of protecting "taxpayer dollars" hinges on a selective interpretation of who pays taxes that reinforces the privilege of affluent whites to have government follow their preferences. 

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• SOURCE: The Atlantic
  1/22/2021
  

  Why Biden’s Inaugural Address Succeeded

  Joe Biden's inaugural address won't be remembered as a masterpiece of rhetoric. But it succeeded in presenting an authentic and realistic picture of Biden's plans to lead the nation in crisis, argues The Atlantic writer. 

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• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  1/19/2021
  

  The Dying Art of Political Persuasion

  by David Bromwich

  "The work of changing people’s minds may succeed best when it recalls the affinity of political argument with morals and manners that have become second nature."

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• SOURCE: NPR
  1/15/2021
  

  Reconstruction Era Expert On Why Politicians Use Terms Unity And Healing

  "Reconciliation needs accountability. You can't just wash your hands and say, let's forget about the past and move forward with healing."

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• 9/20/2020
  

  Nostalgia and the Tragedy of Trump's Speech at Mount Rushmore

  by John Bodnar

  Trump's July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore, like his attacks on historians this week, embodied an escapist nostalgia that purges injustice, conflict, and violence. Abraham Lincoln's brand of nostalgia is more worthy of embracing. 

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• SOURCE: Made By History at The Washington Post
  8/7/2020
  

  Colorblindness Has Become A Conservative Shield For Racial Inequality

  by Frank J. Cirillo

  Beginning in the 1970s, white politicians selectively appropriated the dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for a future post-race society by pretending it was already reality, rejecting further action to address racial inequality.

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• SOURCE: Washington Post
  5/4/2020
  

  Harsh Rhetoric Tears Us Apart — And Can Make Violence Seem Acceptable

  by Charles Holden, Zach Messitte and Jerald Podair

  The pugilistic speeches that caused Agnew’s political star to rise also eroded Americans’ bonds of empathy at a time when the nation desperately needed statesmanship.