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American Politics

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Selected Works

Alison Dana Howard

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Presidential Rhetoric Of Hard Times, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard Sep 2014

The Presidential Rhetoric Of Hard Times, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard

Alison Dana Howard

Is there a presidential rhetoric of hard times? We are interested in presidents’ rhetorical reactions during economic contractions. Do they rhetorically react at all? If they choose to speak, what do they seek to convey to the public about the economy? We analyze the major discretionary speeches presidents give during recessions. Some presidents are reluctant to address major economic remarks to the public; in five of the 11 recessions since World War II, presidents have not offered a major economic speech. They do, however, deliver major discretionary speeches on other topics during recessions. While most presidents tend to deliver more …

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Auditioning For The Rhetorical Presidency: Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speeches As “Presidential” Documents, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard Sep 2014

Auditioning For The Rhetorical Presidency: Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speeches As “Presidential” Documents, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard

Alison Dana Howard

Scholars have identified various genres of presidential speech and developed interesting and varying arguments about the nature and effectiveness of presidential rhetoric. One area of scholarship that deserves attention is a thorough examination of the content of pre-presidential speeches, specifically presidential nomination acceptance speeches. A candidate’s acceptance speech launches the general election campaign and provides each party’s nominee with a significant rhetorical opportunity. We examine the nature of the rhetoric used in nomination acceptance speeches given by Democratic and Republican presidential candidates since 1948. During this time period there have been many significant changes in the electoral and institutional landscapes. …

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Talking To Millennials: Policy Rhetoric And Rhetorical Narratives In The 2008 Presidential Campaign, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard Dec 2009

Talking To Millennials: Policy Rhetoric And Rhetorical Narratives In The 2008 Presidential Campaign, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard

Alison Dana Howard

The 2008 U.S. election was arguably the most important election of our lifetime: the first African American president was elected to office; the candidacy of Sarah Palin marked only the second time that a major party ticket included a female; and the electoral performance of young citizens - digital natives, greatly attracted by digital media - signaled the highest turnout in a long time.Taking all these issues into consideration, this book offers a landmark examination of the 2008 election from a global perspective, with emphasis on the wide range of digital media utilized by the campaigners and how campaign communication …

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Clinton And Americorps: Attributes For Success, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard Apr 2008

Clinton And Americorps: Attributes For Success, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard

Alison Dana Howard

Examining the Presidency: Carter and Clinton -- A panel of political historians talked about their papers on the successes and failures of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Itai Sneh talked about his paper about President Carter called “Misppointments Causing Disappointments: How One President’s Failure to Make Good Appointments Doomed His Foreign Policy” and his book The Future Almost Arrived: How Jimmy Carter Failed to Change U.S. Foreign Policy (Peter Lang Publishing; February 2008).

Amnon Cavari’s paper about President Carter was called “Representing the Nation - Leading the Party.”
Lara Brown talked about her paper called “Through the Briar Patch: …

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State Of The Union Address, Alison Howard Nov 2007

State Of The Union Address, Alison Howard

Alison Dana Howard

The Encyclopedia of Political Communication discusses the major theoretical approaches to the field, including direct and limited effects theories, agenda-setting theories, sociological theories, framing and priming theories, and other past and present conceptualizations. With nearly 600 entries, this resource pays considerable attention to important political messages such as political speeches, televised political advertising, political posters and print advertising, televised political debates, and Internet sites. The audiences for political communications are also central, necessitating concentration on citizen reactions to political messages, how the general public and voters in democratic systems respond to political messages, and the effects of all types of …

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Donning The Hat Of Chief Legislator: The President, Congress, And The State Of The Union Address, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard Aug 2004

Donning The Hat Of Chief Legislator: The President, Congress, And The State Of The Union Address, Donna Hoffman, Alison Howard

Alison Dana Howard


Intimately tied to our perception of presidential leadership is the influence a president wields inthe legislative process. Setting the nation on a path, outlining an agenda, and using the art ofpersuasion to achieve success while in office are all at the heart of providing leadership. These are all things that presidents seek to do with a State of the Union address. The public looks to the president to solve a host of problems; expectations on the part of the public are high. Whether or not the president is able to address these needs through legislation is a critical component of …

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