The Rise and Decline of Presidential Populism

Abstract

Publishers, Inc., 1994], 89-112) recants this position, contending that the idea of presidential popular authority is consistent with the Founding view of the Constitution. * The category "Liberal Elite" includes academia, representatives of interest groups for the poor and minorities, experts, and the liberal establishment.

Yes, Ronald Reagan's Rhetoric Was Unique—But Statistically,HowUnique?

“…Finally, within the larger context of presidential rhetoric, our focus here is on studies that have employed traditional content analysis or computerized methods to explore presidents' speeches from George Washington onward (some examples include (Bimes and Mulroy 2004; Ellis 1998; Foerstel‐Branson 2009; Lim 2008; Tulis 1987)—and more narrowly on those that have revealed insights into the religious rhetoric of presidents. In her study of inaugural addresses from Washington to Reagan, Toolin (1983) (using traditional content analysis) found clear evidence of civil religion, but, as noted above, the use of inaugural addresses biased her sample in favor of finding such rhetoric.…”

“…In a more critical vein, one might ask, even if Reagan may be established as a rhetorical outlier with respect to religion, what does this matter for real policy or outcomes? One response is that presidential rhetoric is indicative of “how the president perceives his political position”—that is, who he aligns with and who he opposes (Bimes and Mulroy 2004, 141) and therefore helps us to understand his partners and priorities. Second, political theorists have rightly noted that even if political speeches are not in themselves causally effective, they may prove useful for legitimizing programs and projects (Weale 2010, 270).…”

Policy Speech in the Nineteenth Century Rhetorical Presidency: The Case of Zachary Taylor's 1849 Tour

“…Instead of seeing the rhetorical presidency as an original creation of Roosevelt and Wilson, recent scholarship has tended to accent the gradual development of the rhetorical presidency throughout the nineteenth century. Moreover, whereas Tulis portrayed the nineteenth‐century presidency as embodying the framers' constitutional vision, recent research has accentuated the ways in which the nineteenth‐century presidency departed from that original vision by making the presidency “a seat of popular leadership” (Korzi 2004; also see Ellis 1998a; Bimes 1999; Laracey 2002; and Hoffman 2002).…”

Constituting "The People": National Identity Under William H. Taft and Richard M. Nixon

“…There is also a lingering tendency in political science to divide presidential history into periods, implying that presidents from different periods have little in common. Recent research casts doubt on such periodization (Bimes 1999;Laracey 2002;Korzi 2004), but looking at the issue of national identity in an early and a modern presidency can demonstrate further the permeability of those boundaries.…”

“…In offering that instruction, both presidents adopt an explicitly didactic role toward the American public, at least on the subject of citizenship. We argue that what is true for these presidents is true for most presidents: long before the inception of the "rhetorical presidency," or the institutionalized use of "going public" as a specific strategy for cultivating support on policy issues, presidents relied upon the definitional authority of the office to demarcate "good" citizens, and to provide the rhetorical means whereby "persons" could be made into the sorts of citizens required by their understanding of the republic (Beasley 2004;Bimes 1999;Campbell and Jamieson 1990;Ellis 1998;Lucas 2002). In other words, by virtue of their position as national leaders presiDownloaded by [University of Virginia, Charlottesville] at 00:34 15 December 2014 72 I CONCRESS & THE PRESIDENCY dents help define the behavior and characteristics of "good" citizens.…”