“Reflections of Yesterday”: George H. W. Bush's Instrumental Use of Public Opinion Research in Presidential Discourse

Abstract

This essay employs archival data and myriad interviews with principals from the Bush administration to explore how George Herbert Walker Bush used public opinion research in the process of rhetorical invention throughout his presidency. The author argues that Bush's aversion to political marketing, disdain for rhetoric, and bifurcation between campaigning and governance created a president whose instrumental poll usage for rhetorical purposes was much less than his predecessor, and intentionally so. I believe that President Bush's attitude toward polls must have been about the same as it was toward speeches. that it was not legitimate, that it was not real leadership, that it was somehow phony and artificial.

Does Public Opinion Affect Political Speech?

“…On the one hand, scholars have presented evidence that questions whether public opinion has any influence on political speech. In one historical study, Hall (2002) uses interviews and archival data to assess whether President George W. Bush used public opinion research to forge his rhetoric. The author finds that Bush had a distinct distaste for polls, labeling them “phony and artificial” (Hall 2002, 531).…”

“…In one historical study, Hall (2002) uses interviews and archival data to assess whether President George W. Bush used public opinion research to forge his rhetoric. The author finds that Bush had a distinct distaste for polls, labeling them “phony and artificial” (Hall 2002, 531). Similarly, Jacobs and Shapiro (2000) analyze President Clinton's failed health care reform campaign and Newt Gingrich's “Contract with America” and find little evidence for rhetorical pandering.…”

Declaration of input sources in scientific research: should this practice be incorporated to organizational information management?

“…This may require analysis and additional efforts for its generation or interpretation. As an example, the interviews conducted by Hall (2002) with team members of President George Bush brought information to the research context: opinions and perceptions of the respondents regarding the context of the questioned object. In article of Turner (2006), the four partial skulls of animals show exact measurements, easily measurable, exemplify research inputs categorized as data.…”

“…Two examples found during our exploration and analysis of the research articles sample are presented below to illustrate this concept. Hall's (2002) research aimed to explore how the President of the United States of America, George Bush, used public opinion polls in the process of rhetorical invention in his presidential speeches. Although Hall has not interviewed the president, he did interview important professionals in his team, who were responsible for preparing the President's speeches, and such sources are correctly classified as primary sources of research.…”