Joe McCarthy, brief‐case demagogue

Baskerville, Barnet

doi:10.1080/01463375409389455

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The degree to which Trump believed what he said is less important than his willingness to articulate it. Baskerville (1954), writing about demagoguery near the end of Joseph McCarthy’s tenure, pointed to how similar figures used divisive issues to build influence and power:The demagogue […] tells the people what they wish to hear; he makes effective use of personalized invective and catch phrases; he uses causes and issues when they serve his purpose, drops them when they do not; he plays upon the ‘mass mind,’ substituting heat for light, emotion for thought(p. 15).…”

Section: Demagoguerymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, demagogues trade in a starker version of this tactic. Joseph McCarthy routinely promised quick fixes, a particular advantage over those who preferred by temperament or disposition, to speak of complexities in nuanced ways (Baskerville, 1954).…”

Section: Analyzing the Rhetoric Of A Demagoguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…George Wallace mocking of organizations with “high-sounding names” (Wallace, 1964) represents the ability of a demagogue to reduce an argument to a Manichean struggle between “right” and “wrong,” between “good” and “evil,” and between those who are willing to defend the nation and those who are trying to destroy it. Supporters of Joseph McCarthy routinely pointed to his “guts” and “status as a fighter,” a character trait frequently echoed by current supporters of Donald Trump (Baskerville, 1954, p. 10). Demagogues are skillful at exploiting the “element in American society for whom politics is a zero-sum equation where a victory for one’s tribe is a defeat for one’s opponent”; where “life is a perpetually exciting game of cops and robbers” (Baskerville, 1954, p. 10).…”

Section: Analyzing the Rhetoric Of A Demagoguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Supporters of Joseph McCarthy routinely pointed to his “guts” and “status as a fighter,” a character trait frequently echoed by current supporters of Donald Trump (Baskerville, 1954, p. 10). Demagogues are skillful at exploiting the “element in American society for whom politics is a zero-sum equation where a victory for one’s tribe is a defeat for one’s opponent”; where “life is a perpetually exciting game of cops and robbers” (Baskerville, 1954, p. 10).…”

Section: Analyzing the Rhetoric Of A Demagoguementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Demagogues and the “Guardrails of Democracy”

Pearcy

Clabough

2018

SSRP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Contemporary American politics has been characterized by excessive, vitriolic rhetoric since the 2016 presidential victory of Donald Trump. However, Donald Trump’s brand of politics is nothing new. He is the inheritor and latest proponent for a brand of American politics that utilizes demagogic rhetoric. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of demagoguery along with the traits of demagogic rhetoric. Two activities for the high school classroom are given that look at the demagogic rhetoric employed by Joseph McCarthy and George Wallace, two of the most infamous political demagogues of the twentieth century. Design/methodology/approach With the first activity, McCarthy’s “Enemies from Within Speech” is analyzed by breaking down the speech with Gustainis’ seven traits of demagoguery (1990). Similarly in the second activity, George Wallace’s inaugural address is examined with Gustainis’ seven traits of demagoguery, and then, the authors provide a series of activities that students can do to protest the demagogic rhetoric in Wallace’s inaugural address. Finally, an appendix is provided with additional speeches from American demagogues that social studies teachers can use to teach about elements of demagoguery. Findings In this paper, the authors provide an overview of demagoguery along with the traits of demagogic rhetoric. Two activities for the high school classroom are given that look at the demagogic rhetoric employed by Joseph McCarthy and George Wallace, two of the most infamous political demagogues of the twentieth century. Originality/value Contemporary American politics has been characterized by excessive, vitriolic rhetoric since the 2016 presidential victory of Donald Trump. However, Donald Trump’s brand of politics is nothing new. He is the inheritor and latest proponent for a brand of American politics that utilizes demagogic rhetoric. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of demagoguery along with the traits of demagogic rhetoric. Students need to be able to critically examine demagogic rhetoric to hold elected officials accountable for their words, actions and policies.

show abstract

Section: Demagoguerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analyzing the Rhetoric Of A Demagoguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analyzing the Rhetoric Of A Demagoguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analyzing the Rhetoric Of A Demagoguementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Demagogues and the “Guardrails of Democracy”

Pearcy

Clabough

2018

SSRP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Dangerous Demagogues and Weaponized Communication

Mercieca¹

2019

Rhetoric Society Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This essay argues that we can usefully separate "heroic demagogues" from "dangerous demagogues" by whether or not the demagogue allows themselves to be held accountable for their words and actions. "Dangerous demagoguery" can be thought of as "weaponized communication" that uses words as weapons to achieve the dangerous demagogue's strategic goals. The essay examines several recent examples of dangerous demagogues using weaponized communication strategies, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, President Donald Trump, and Neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin. Weaponized communication is a danger in any democracy as it corresponds with democratic erosion.

show abstract