The Rhetorical Presidency

The rhetorical presidency is a political communication theory that describes the communication and government style of U.S. presidents in the twentieth century. This theory describes the transition from a presidency that directed rhetoric toward the United States Congress and other government bodies, to one that addresses rhetoric, policy and ideas directly to the public.

History

The term "rhetorical presidency" was introduced by political scientists James Ceaser, Glen E. Thurow, Jeffrey Tulis, and Joseph Bessette in 1981.^[1] Tulis wrote the foundational book on the subject entitled The Rhetorical Presidency, in 1987. Tulis' book spurred heated debate on the history and evolution of presidential rhetoric, with Tulis himself later revising positions taken in his book.

Development

He claimed that changes in the rhetorical style of the presidency were a symptom of a shift in American's underlying conceptions regarding how government should function. Rhetorical presidency cut congressional dominion, influenced the power to fit public policy, and put the president in front with the American people to show the development of leadership as an imperative demeanor of presidential character and politics.^[2]

The rhetorical presidency is both a structural theory and a theory of how presidents communicate in the media age. It draws from political science, history and communication studies.^[3]

Tulis delineates the historical arc of presidential rhetoric in the United States as having three stages: the "Old Way", the "Middle Way" and the "New Way".

The Old Way (1789–1900) corresponds with traditional conventions of statecraft and rhetoric addressed to Congress, the courts or visiting dignitaries. Most presidential rhetoric was delivered in writing. The only attempt during this period to use rhetoric to address the whole people was President Andrew Johnson's Swing Around the Circle, which failed.^[4]

The Middle Way (1900–1913) marks a hybrid between internal and external appeals on important matters epitomized by the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. He met fierce opposition from his own party in Congress regarding the Hepburn Act, with appeals directly to the people.^[4]

The New Way (1913–present) refers to a presidency which dispenses with traditional statecraft and instead regularly engages the public. Woodrow Wilson employed two types of rhetoric: the policy speech and the visionary speech. A policy speech explains and defends the president's policy on a certain issue, while the visionary speech articulates a goal for the future and calls the nation towards that goal. Since Wilson, all Presidents have emphasized these tools.^[4][5]

References

1. Ceaser, James W.; Glen E. Thuerow; Jeffrey Tulis; Joseph M Bessette (Spring 1981). "The Rise of the Rhetorical Presidency". Presidential Studies Quarterly 11 (2): 158–171.
2. Gillespie, Andra (December 23, 2009). Whose Black Politics? Cases in Post-Racial Black Leadership. Routledge. p. 157.
3. Medhurst, Martin J. (1996). Beyond the Rhetorical Presidency. Texas A & M University Press. p. XI=XXV. ISBN 978-0-89096-710-2.
4. Tulis, Jeffrey (1987). The Rhetorical Presidency. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-02295-X.
5. Hart, Roderick P.; Kathleen E. Kendall (1996). Martin J. Medhurst, ed. Beyond the Rhetorical Presidency. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 77–103. ISBN 0-89096-710-5.