American Politics Commons^™

Democracy Defended: Polibloggers And The Political Press In America, Erica Johnson

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Since their creation less than a decade ago, blogs have metamorphosed from a relatively unknown activity into a recognized phenomenon. Political blogs have shown the potential to influence the functioning of American democracy. As the importance of blogs has grown, there has been heated discussion about whether or not to consider political blogs as a form of political journalism, an important aspect of American democracy. To resolve the debate, the author examines the two principal democratic responsibilities of the media: gatekeeper and government watchdog. The author selected two widely-read political blogs, Instapundit and Eschaton, and one influential newspaper, the …

The Social Nature Of Natural Resources - The Case Of Water, Jamie Linton

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Of all things, water is among the most difficult to pin down. It is nevertheless characteristic of modernity that we ascribe to it an essence, on which basis particular kinds of human-water relations are made possible while others are denied. The ascription of an essential identity to water constitutes a social and political act by which it is both made known to people and made available for people. This paper explores the implications of ascribing to water an identity as "resource." Water was pronounced a resource in the United States early in the last century in the context of the …

Handling And Preventing Journalistic Fraud: Janet Cooke, Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, Kenneth Munson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Fraud is a growing concern in the news business, especially in recent years where numerous journalism scandals rock its foundation. This paper examines the most prominent cases: Stephen Glass, the reporter for The New Republic newsmagazine who completely or partially fabricated 27 stories in the late ‘90s; Jayson Blair, the New York Times reporter who was found to have plagiarized or made up his supposedly on-thescene reporting in 2003; and Janet Cooke, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for her Washington Post story about a child heroin addict who, in actuality, did not exist. This paper will examine flaws …

Ua3/9/5 House & Senate Budget Subcommittees, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Card of talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell while lobbying state legislators to increase WKU's budget.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 81, No. 24, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. Articles in this issue:

• Coulter, Amber. Budget Won’t Cover Costs
• Paul, Corey. Fires Destroy Local Houses - Arson
• Harrell, Bobby. J-term Enrollment Higher than University of Kentucky’s
• Bosken, Nina. Race Machine Brings Diversity to Downing University Center – Video Games
• Coulter, Amber. Study Finds Salary Equity
• Coulter, Amber. Donor Helps Scholarship Increase
• Governor Ernie Fletcher’s Folly
• Watt, Wes. Opinion Page is Everyone’s Page
• Casagrande, Michael. Note from the Editor
• McNamara, Andrew. Additions to Downing University Center Centralize Services
• Harrell, Bobby. Governor’s Comments Ignite Intelligent Design Debate
• Paul, Corey. Professors, …

Ua3/9/5 Legislative Priorities, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Legislative priorities talking points card used by WKU president Gary Ransdell when meeting with state legislators in 2006.

Conceptualizing And Measuring White House Staff Influence On Presidential Rhetoric, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

Scholars have debated extensively the impact of presidential rhetoric on public opinion and congressional behavior, but have largely ignored the determinants of what the president actually says. This inattention is partly the result of the difficulty of acquiring systematic observations of presidential speech crafting. We devise a method of quantifying White House staff influence over the composition of rhetoric that captures the multistage negotiations between the president's speechwriters and his policy advisors and provides a framework for future studies on the determinants of presidential rhetoric. We employ our method to study influence over the writing of President George H. W. …

Conceptualizing And Measuring White House Staff Influence On Presidential Rhetoric, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

Scholars have debated extensively the impact of presidential rhetoric on public opinion and congressional behavior, but have largely ignored the determinants of what the president actually says. This inattention is partly the result of the difficulty of acquiring systematic observations of presidential speech crafting. We devise a method of quantifying White House staff influence over the composition of rhetoric that captures the multistage negotiations between the president's speechwriters and his policy advisors and provides a framework for future studies on the determinants of presidential rhetoric. We employ our method to study influence over the writing of President George H. W. …

New Strategies For An Old Medium: The Weekly Radio Addresses Of Reagan And Clinton, Lori Cox Han

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

"While a rich literature exists on presidential communications (including the public/rhetorical presidency and the presidential/press relationship), only recently have presidential scholars begun to analyze weekly radio addresses as an important primary unit of analysis (Rowland and Jones 2002; Sigelman and Whissell 2002a, 2002b). This article analyzes how the use of radio has fit into the overall development of White House communication strategies during the television age, and takes an in-depth look at how Reagan and Clinton used weekly radio addresses to communicate with both the American public and the news media. Specifically, the issues considered here include the strategy development …

The President Over The Public: The Plebiscitary Presidency At Center Stage, Lori Cox Han

Political Science Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"In this chapter, I will address the question of the usefulness of the public presidency in the current political environment (that is, can a president’s communication strategy make a difference in terms of what he achieves), as well as the constitutional danger, if any, posed by a president’s attempt at public leadership. Has the public presidency, and its focus on the public aspects of the office, thrown the constitutional balance of power between the three branches out of balance? Does the president really gain political power within the constitutional framework of our government if he is a skilled and effective …

A Comparison Of Western And Chinese Propaganda Tactics As Revealed In Pre-War Rhetoric Of Bushs' Presidencies, Pei-Ling Lee

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the differences in the propaganda tactics employed by Western and Chinese cultures, as informed by ancient Chinese philosophies and Western propaganda research. Specifically, this thesis focuses on developing 14 Chinese strategic propaganda tactics by using creative transformation approach. Thereafter, using textual criticism, these tactics are applied to the pre-war rhetoric of the immediate former President of the U.S., George H. W. Bush and the current President of the U.S., George W. Bush in order to test the validity of the rhetorical taxonomy. The results of this thesis demonstrate that George H. W. Bush preferred positive rather than …

Political Contributions By Asian Americans: An Analysis Of The 2002 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Campaign, Paul Watanabe, Gregory Kim-Ju

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

The Institute for Asian American Studies has analyzed and chronicled, often for the first time, the involvement of Asian Americans in the daily life of the Commonwealth. Over the last few decades Massachusetts has experienced a remarkably rapid growth in its Asian American population. Between 1990 and 2000, for example, this population grew by 67.5% to 238,124. Asian Americans now constitute just under 4% of the state’s population

Ua45/6 Remarks Upon Receiving Honorary Degree, Mitchell Mcconnell

WKU Administration Documents

Remarks made by Mitch McConnell upon the receipt of honorary degree from WKU in 2004.

On Power And Equity: Toward A Working-Class Rhetoric, Omar Schwartz

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The working-class in the United States has been, and continues to be, systematically excluded from normative political representation and is allowed little opportunity to contribute to the terms and conditions of its social existence (Henwood, 1987; Moberg, 1992). While few workers today resist such marginalization, this has not been always the case. During the formative period of U.S. labor consciousness (from the end of the Civil War until the First World War), the political alienation of labor was routinely challenged by workers who relied extensively (and illegally) on collective self-help in their pursuit of economic justice. With this …

The Cia World Factbook: Marriage Of Archive And Empire?, Jack Shuler

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

A recent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art cites the production of textiles as integral in establishing the power of the Mongol empire. In the accompanying notes to the exhibit, the museum curators write that, In the creation of luxury textiles and objects for the Mongol elite, Chinese artists developed a visual language that was an effective means of establishing their rule and continuous presence throughout the vast empire. These artists used certain motifs such as the dragon and phoenix, to create tangible representations of power. The mythical beasts integrated the ideas of cosmic force, earthly strength, …

College Students' Media Consumption And Their Voting Habits, Peggy Anne Prudhomme

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Ua3/9/5 Comments Before House Appropriations & Revenue Budget Review Subcommittee, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Comments made by WKU president Gary Ransdell to the Kentucky House Appropriations & Revenue Budget Review Subcommittee regarding the need for education funding.

Election 2000: Aarp Portrayals Of Presidential Candidates And Issues, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

The 2000 United States presidential election was one of the closest in history, and issues of importance to older Americans such as Social Security, prescription drugs, and taxes were front and center in the national debate. This article examines how AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, portrayed the candidates and issues through its two publications: AARP Bulletin and Modern Maturity.

The 2000 United States presidential election was one of the closest in history (Kranish & Johnson, 2000). Additionally, throughout the summer and fall of 2000, poll data suggested a split electorate (Whitman, 2000). Issues of importance to older …

Trends. For Homeland Security, Against A Department Of Homeland Security, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses national security as well as the addition of a new department – the Department of Homeland Security – as a psychological and political tactic.

Five Trends In Presidential Rhetoric: An Analysis Of Rhetoric From George Washington To Bill Clinton, Elvin T. Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Several political scientists have argued that the presidential recourse to public rhetoric as a mode of political influence in the twentieth century represents a significant departure from a pre-twentieth-century institutional norm where “going public” was both rare and frowned upon. This article looks specifically at the changes in the substance of rhetoric that have accompanied this alleged institutional transformation. Applying computer-assisted content analysis to all the inaugural addresses and annual messages delivered between 1789 and 2000, the author identifies and explores five significant changes in twentieth-century presidential rhetoric that would qualifiedly support the thesis of institutional transformation in its rhetorical …

Trends. Trust And Diplomacy: Observations Of The New American President, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the concept of trustworthiness in politics with the relationship between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russia's President Vladimir V. Putin as context.

Trends. The United States Presidential Election: Curds And Wheys, Words And Cays, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the corruption of language and meaning in U.S. politics, particularly involving the U.S. presidential election.

More Word Games In The United States Presidential Campaign: Intervention And Isolation, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article highlights a corruption of language in public discourse related to the United States (US) presidential campaign.

Terrorism In The Mideast And The United States Republican Presidential Campaign: Ideological Terror And Public Discourse, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the use of ideological terror by the United States (US) Republican presidential campaign in the wake of the terrorist attack on the USS Cole.

Mass Media And Violence: Science As Ideology, Ideology As Science, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article critiques a commonly promulgated belief that mass media-conveyed violence induces commensurate behavioral violence in its recipients.

Trends. Rat Psychology During The United States Presidential Election, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article examines the ethics of the alleged use of subliminal perception - the word"Rats" superimposed on an attack on Vice President Gore's health care plans - by representatives of the Bush campaign in the 2000 presidential election.

Trends. No More Rogue Nations And The Power Of Words: A Coup For Ibpp?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the possible consequences of the choice of political language regarding "rogue nations," and "states of concern."

Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense Systems And Rhetorical Madness, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes examples of political rhetoric on anti-ballistic missile defense systems from the two main presidential candidates in the United States. These examples may be undone by their consequential implications for military and politico-military deterrence and the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons even as they may garner success as campaign attack vehicles.

Trends. Are The Bush Missile Defense Guidelines Defensible?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses George W. Bush as a US Presidential candidate providing guidelines on the viability and nature of an anti-ballistic missile defense system for the United States, emphasizing the need for public discourse.

Apologies For Apologies Towards Iran And By The Vatican, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes psychological difficulties in making apologies for past misbehavior in the political world.