Campaign Talk: Why Elections Are Good for Us - Rilegato

Hart, Roderick P.

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 069100126X ISBN 13: 9780691001265

Casa editrice: Princeton University Press, 2000

Riassunto

Roderick Hart may be among the few Americans who believe that what politicians say in a campaign actually matters. Even as television coverage, political ads, and opinion polls turn elections into field days for marketing professionals, Hart argues convincingly that campaigns do play their role in sustaining democracy, mainly because they bring about a dialogue among candidates, the press, and the people. Here, by using a computer program called DICTION, he takes a close look at the exchange of ideas through the language used during campaigns. In each case, the participants choose their words differently, and this, according to Hart, can be a frustrating challenge to anyone trying to make sense of the issues. Yet he finds that the process is good for Americans: campaigns inform us about issues, sensitize us to the concerns of others, and either encourage us to vote or at least heighten our sense of the political world.

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Recensione

Winner of the 2009 Doris Graber Book Award, Section on Political Communication of the American Political Science Association
"This upbeat assessment is founded on a careful look at language. . . . Readers may not be ready to embrace electoral politics as a national treasure, but Hart's suggestion that at least something positive can be gleaned from the campaign trail is reassuring."--Publishers Weekly

"Campaign Talk should be required reading for politicians and their speechwriters. However, it is also for political campaign workers who talk about "staying on the message" and really for anyone who need to be reminded that democracy is not for the complacent but rather it is a dirty-your-fingernails process that anyone can, and should, dive into."--David Kissinger, San Franciso Bay Guardian

"Hart is to be complimented for what is . . . a brave premise and encouraging analysis. . . . [He] has written a useful and impressive book."--Lane Crothers, Quarterly Journal of Speech

"For those cynical and pessimistic about American political campaigns, this book may be an appropriate antidote. . . . The sophisticated research methodology does not detract from the readable text."--Library Journal

"In [his] fascinating new book . . . Roderick Hart uses a computer to analyze the language of candidates to see how their vocabularies work. Specifically, [he] shows how a candidate is or is not in touch with his times."--Suzanne Fields, Washington Times

"The book to buy for the Rodney Dangerfield campaign operative in your life, sure to buck him up on those long bus rides."--Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Hart forces us to rethink some cliches of political kibitzing. . . . Campaigns teach, sensitize, and activate the people as they preach to them."--Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer

"[Hart] treats presidential campaigns as a conversation among the people, the press, and the nation's leaders, and finds they serve the nation well. Such optimistic conclusions seem to run against the conventional wisdom and numerous recent more rigorous analyses, yet it would be difficult to find in Hart's persuasive and enthusiastic analysis flaws serious enough to undermine his conclusions. The success of his volume lies precisely in the mix of "hard" and "soft" methodology. American democracy seen through the prism of work usage looks impressively stable and efficient. . . . No matter how skeptical and cautious readers may be, they must admit that Hart develops his argument in a captivatingly persuasive fashion."--Bohdan Szlarski, The Review of Politics

L'autore

Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and is Professor of Government at the University of Texas, Austin, where he also serves as director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation. He is the author of numerous works, including The Sound of Leadership, Modern Rhetorical Criticism, and Seducing America: How Television Charms the Modern Voter. He has been named a Research Fellow of the International Communication Association and a Distinguished Scholar by the National Communication Association.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Princeton University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2000
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 069100126X
• ISBN 13: 9780691001265
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 328
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
• Persona responsabile: non disponibile