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Political Rhetoric

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Live From Capitol Hill

Nancy Snow | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: George Moscone, Dan White, Rush Limbaugh, Nancy Pelosi, Civility, Political Violence, Glenn Beck, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Political Rhetoric, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Political Incivility, Harvey Milk, Politics News
Nancy Snow

Many Americans are talking back to government, some more viciously than the majority, but Pelosi's broad brush seems to paint all Obama administration critics as potential violent offenders and inciters.

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Time for Obama to Fight Anti-Reform Lunacy with Tactics that Work

Barton Kunstler, Ph.D. | Posted 10.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: President Obama, Health Care Reform, Fanatics, Political Rhetoric, Religious Intolerance, Media, Political Tactics, Health Care, Politics News
Barton Kunstler, Ph.D.

This is a special type of American fanaticism. Unless we appreciate its virulence, proponents of progressive reform will continually underestimate its role in determining public policy.

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Disrupting Democracy

Robin Lakoff | Posted 09.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Democracy, Conservative, Logical Fallacy, Political Rhetoric, Health Care Reform, Socialism, Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News
Robin Lakoff

Liberals have devised ways to help the economically impoverished. Now we have to figure out what to do about the discursively impoverished.

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The Judge Who Saved Baseball

Jeffrey Feldman | Posted 06.26.2009 | Politics

Read More: Political Rhetoric, Obama Supreme Court Nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, Politics News
Jeffrey Feldman

To make sure his first nominee makes it through a potentially ugly confirmation process, Obama is wrapping the debate in one of the most popular symbols of American life: baseball.

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Bobby Jindal's Time Machine

Morgan Warners | Posted 03.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Bobby Jindal Governor, Bobby-Jindal-2012, 2012 Election, Bobby Jindal, Obama State of the Union, Political Rhetoric, State of the Union Address, Jindal-2012, Bobby Jindal 2012, Jindal 2012, Republican Party, State of the Union, Jindal, Politics News
Morgan Warners

Dear Governor Jindal, We're all here in 2009. But you're all over the place! It's like you hopped into a time machine and left your brain with the 2...

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Terrorism: Some Definitions

Rick Ayers | Posted 12.18.2008 | Politics

Read More: Domestic Terrorism, Terrorism, Sarah Palin, Mccain Terrorism, Bill Ayers, Political Rhetoric, Barack Obama, War on Terror, Al Qaeda, Politics News
Rick Ayers

With the election over, I wonder if we can draw down the rhetoric a bit. Let's begin with a definition of terrorism.

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Rahm Emanuel's Professors Remember Former Student

The Daily Northwestern | Nathalie Tadena | Posted 12.18.2008 | Chicago

Read More: Rahm Emanuel Northwestern, David Zarefsky, Rahm Emanuel Ruthless, Rahm Emanuel Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, Political Rhetoric, Northwestern, Chicago News

School of Communication professor David Zarefsky acknowledged the word "ruthless" has been used to describe his former student Rahm Emanuel. It's pr...

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On Wordiness, Godliness and Truthiness: The McCain-Palin Assault on Language

Caryn James | Posted 11.30.2008 | Politics

Read More: Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell, Language, Mccain, Political Rhetoric, Palin, Anti-Intelectuals, John McCain, Speech, Election 2008, Barack Obama, Socialists, Politics News
Caryn James

The McCain-Palin campaign is demonizing language and not just using it with that politics-as-usual slipperiness. But denigrating language is easy after all these years of George "Malapropism" Bush.

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McCain-Palin and the Lucifer Effect: The Dangerous, Violent Rhetoric Against Barack Obama

Dawn Teo | Posted 11.24.2008 | Home

Read More: Political Rhetoric, John McCain, Barack Obama, Mccain Palin and the Lucifer Effect, Goals for Mccain/Palin, The Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer Effect, Dawn Teo, Socialists, Home News
Dawn Teo

The language of the McCain-Palin campaign now goes far beyond the divisive language that has most typically characterized U.S. political campaigns. McCain and Palin are promoting a perception of Obama as an enemy, not as an opponent.

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Links to Story About Canvasser Getting Assaulted

Jeff Dorchen | Posted 11.19.2008 | Media

Read More: McCain Campaign, Barack Obama Organizing, 2008 Campaign, John McCain, Political Rhetoric, Media News
Jeff Dorchen

Local papers in Wisconsin doing their job.

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Closing the Deal.

Daniel Menaker | Posted 11.16.2008 | Media

Read More: Financial Language, Karl Rove Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove Obama, Karl Rove, Closing the Deal, Barack Obama Karl Rove, Negative Campaigning, Financial Rhetoric, Karl Rove Closing the Deal, Political Rhetoric, Election Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal, Barack Obama, 2008 Presidential Election, Media News
Daniel Menaker

Casting elections as "deals" and "sales" speaks encyclopedias about how Rove and too many others think about the connection between voters and candidates.

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Next President Must Act On His Promise To End Genocide In Darfur

Susan Morgan | Posted 11.10.2008 | Home

Read More: Rwanda, Darfur, Presidential Debate, Bush Administration, Sudan, Genocide, United Nations Security Council, Political Rhetoric, Barack Obama, John McCain, Home News
Susan Morgan

During the debate, both presidential candidates acknowledged the moral imperative of acting in the face of genocide. "We may not always have national security issues at stake, but we have moral issues at stake," stated Obama.

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Why Smart Talkers Lose Debates and How Obama Can Beat McCain Anyway

Joseph Romm | Posted 10.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Political Rhetoric, Presidential Debates, Barack Obama, Obama Rhetoric, Presidential Rhetoric, Debates, 2008 Election, Politics News
Joseph Romm

Debates are won by the candidate who presents the most compelling and persuasive character. If I can convince you I'm an honest, straight talker, you'll believe what else I say. If I can't, you won't.

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John McCain's Big Lies

Janet Ritz | Posted 10.16.2008 | Politics

Read More: Barack Obama, Craig Ferguson, The Big Lie, Chris Matthews, John McCain, Orwell, Politics News, The Environmentalist, Political Rhetoric, McCain Maverick, Politics News
Janet Ritz

The distortions coming from the campaign make it impossible to determine who John McCain is beyond the noise, the distractions

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G O P is not G O D

Buddy Winston | Posted 10.10.2008 | Home

Read More: 2008 Elections, Church, John McCain, McCain Maverick, Mccain, Political Rhetoric, Sarah Palin, Palin, Election, Political Ads, Politics News, Religion, God, Maverick, Gop, Separation of Church and State, Home News
Buddy Winston

...

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Obama, Don't Call McCain a Maverick Five Times in Your Ad!

Joseph Romm | Posted 10.10.2008 | Politics

Read More: Political Ads, Political Rhetoric, John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, McCain Maverick, Maverick, Politics News
Joseph Romm

You can't debunk a myth by verbally repeating it. This is basic stuff, so it is surprising that neither Obama nor his team understand it.

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Obama's Self-Defeating Rhetoric

Joseph Romm | Posted 09.07.2008 | Politics

Read More: Political Rhetoric, John McCain, Negative Attacks, Barack Obama, Obama Rhetoric, George Lakoff, Obama Ads, Politics News
Joseph Romm

You can't debunk a myth by verbally repeating it. This is actually very basic stuff, so it is surprising that neither Obama nor his team understand it.

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Does Iran's Ahmadinejad Suffer from A Napoleon Complex?

Nazee Moinian | Posted 09.06.2008 | Politics

Read More: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Brian Williams Ahmadenijad, Iran, Political Rhetoric, Ahmadinejad Napoleon Complex, Napoleon Complex, Politics News
Nazee Moinian

Both Ahmadinejad and Napolean were short in stature, came from humble backgrounds, fought in wars, ruled over 70 million people, dreamed big -- and wanted to reshape the world.

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Barack Obama: "You" Versus "I"

Jerry Weissman | Posted 08.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: Political Rhetoric, George Will, Barack Obama, Obama Rhetoric, Obama Speech, Politics News
Jerry Weissman

Everyone now is focused sharply on Obama's rhetoric, specifically having to do with verbal focus: Self- or other-directed, exclusive or inclusive, "I" or "you"?

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Bereft in Berlin

Marc Kusnetz | Posted 08.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: David Brooks, Reagan, Obama, Kennedy, Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Berlin, Barack Obama Rhetoric, Political Rhetoric, Obama Berlin Speech, Politics News
Marc Kusnetz

Each time Obama steps on a new stage, the press criticizes his rhetoric as high-falutin' but devoid of content. Do they think Berlin was the perfect time to announce a new initiative for the earned income tax credit?

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Depends on What the Meaning of the Word 'Is' (Surge) Is

Adam Blickstein | Posted 08.01.2008 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, Iraq Surge, Linguistics, Language, Casuistry, Success of the Surge, Manipulative, Political Rhetoric, John McCain Rhetoric, Politics News
Adam Blickstein

The stakes are far higher now in dealing with a war than with adultery. But in both instances, the manipulation of words, whether active or passive, matter.

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Credit Where it is Due: H.R. McMaster, the Author of the "Surge" Strategy

Janet Ritz | Posted 07.26.2008 | Politics

Read More: Politics, John McCain, The Environmentalist, Jack Keane, Robert Gates, H.R. McMaster, George W. Bush, David Petraeus, Political Rhetoric, Afghanistan, Iraq, Surge, Barack Obama, Politics News
Janet Ritz

Credit where it is due, Senator McCain. In the case of "Clear, Hold and Build," that credit belongs to H.R. McMaster and those who tried for so long to have his strategy implemented; too long for the many lives that have been lost.

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