The presidency may well be a “bully pulpit,” in Theodore Roosevelt’s original sense, a position that commands attention. But as President Barack Obama prepares to address the nation Tuesday in support of taking military action against Syria, there’s little evidence (at least in recent times) that presidential speeches are very […] Read more »
Obama’s push for a Syria strike depends on many factors other than presidential eloquence
The story line for this coming week is set: President Obama, facing a critical test of strength, will go before the nation to try to rally public opinion and persuade a reluctant Congress to give him the authority to launch military strikes against Syria. … But this narrative, of a […] Read more »
Want to Win a Political Debate? Try Making a Weaker Argument
If all of American politics could be epitomized by a single emotion, it would be the frustration of watching an ignorant politician maniacally disregard the proof that your own position is correct. … There could be an entire book of syndicated newspaper columns that discuss “motivated reasoning”—the tendency to interpret […] Read more »
Think messaging will change opinions on Obamacare? Think again.
Health-care reform is back in the headlines, with the recent decision by the Obama administration to delay the employer mandate and with the new public relations efforts planned on both sides of the law. But on its own, new rhetoric isn’t likely to move public opinion. Prior rhetoric certainly hasn’t. […] Read more »
Davis for governor of Texas? Don’t mess with it, Wendy
There seems to be an inherent human belief that, given sufficient audience, anyone can convince a majority of almost any position. It’s the reason you have any number of pundits claiming that President Obama needs only to talk more and more kindly to the American people and the Republican-controlled House […] Read more »
Obama’s speeches are not just words — they are political action
… In many ways, speech is action. When Obama speaks forcefully, as he did in his second inaugural address, he enables action to follow. Changing the public political discourse also changes public understanding, leading to new demands for political action. Words are not mere words. As the linguist Charles Fillmore […] Read more »