Edmund Burke'sdiscontentsand the interpretation of political culture

War and the Contest over National Identity

“…Stephen Browne (1991) argues that the essence of rhetoric is to invite the audience into an alliance in virtue, calling upon the audience to help the speaker participate in some form of redemption. This Browne refers to as 'speaker-hearer collaboration.'…”

Manifest Destiny Adapted for 1990s' War Discourse: Mission and Destiny Intertwined

“…Because the hero in Manifest Destiny is a nation, rather than an individual, and a nation is composed of individuals, every member of the nation can contribute to (or detract from) its superior character and its mission. According to Browne (1991), this speaker-hearer collaboration invites the audience in, saying, "Together we can redeem virtue." By doing so, a rhetorical community is built, the national identity is redefined or its individual members are reminded of the nation's superior character, and each member can gain some sense of personal significance from being a part of this nation and contributing to its mission.…”

Building the Clinton Legacy Through Frame Alignment

“…The ways in which a president frames such events inevitably imply or suggest an identity for the nation and/or for the political party she or he hopes will lead the nation. The identity or image that leaders frequently seek to bestow on the nation is one of virtue (Anderson, 1983;Browne, 1991). The virtuous nature of the nation, which must be revised over time to accommodate new historical circumstances (Slotkin, 1992), often depends on the collaboration of the people to be fulfilled (Browne, 1991).…”

“…The identity or image that leaders frequently seek to bestow on the nation is one of virtue (Anderson, 1983;Browne, 1991). The virtuous nature of the nation, which must be revised over time to accommodate new historical circumstances (Slotkin, 1992), often depends on the collaboration of the people to be fulfilled (Browne, 1991). Hence, the president often implores the nation to join him in a virtuous mission, which, one can easily infer, may fail if the nation rejects such an invitation (Coles, 1998).…”