Description
Book SynopsisPolitical Problems and Personalities in Contemporary Maryland provides a comprehensive rhetorical analysis of contemporary politics and political communication in Maryland at both the state and local levels. Theodore F. Sheckels and Carl Hyden approach rhetoric in a broader sense, arguing that actions by political players – including decisions on housing policy, urban redevelopment policy, and transportation policy—are not in a separate category from their messages. In many cases, they argue, actions are messages, often with important material consequences. Rather than focusing solely on previous or upcoming elections, as political communication has traditionally been examined, Sheckels and Hyden give considerable space to non-election topics, responding to current shifts in political communication scholarship and encouraging others to examine political communication at the local and state levels elsewhere in the United States. Scholars of communication, political science, rhetoric, and history will find this book of particular interest.
Trade Review“Thankfully, Ted Sheckels and Carl Hyden have dismantled the myth of the boring Blue state and added greatly to our understanding of the state with the release of Political Problems and Personalities in Contemporary Maryland. Readers are presented at the outset with a necessary crash course on the demographic, geographic, and economic diversity of the state. Prominent Maryland politicians such as Barbara MiKuslki, Martin O'Malley, and Larry Hogan are discussed as are critical policy issues concerning race, housing, and transportation. The authors even take on the critical question of why no Marylander has ever become President. Collectively the book provides a thorough and engrossing presentation of state politics and is perfect for those seeking a better, more in-depth, understanding of politics in the Free State.”
-- Todd Eberly, St. Mary's College of Maryland
Table of ContentsPreface
Chapter 1—Introduction: Studying State and Local Politics; Studying Maryland
Part I – People
Chapter 2 – Barbara Mikulski: Advocate and Mentor
Chapter 3 – Martin O’Malley’s Failure to Communicate
Chapter 4 – Larry Hogan: A Look at His Record as Governor of Maryland
Part II– Politics
Chapter 5 – Baltimore in Search of Its Next Transformational Mayor
Chapter 6 – Why Haven’t Maryland’s African American Candidates for Governor Been Elected
Chapter 7 – Marylanders in Congress: Different Leaders for Different Tasks
Chapter 8 – Why Hasn’t There Been a Marylander in the White House: The Quests of Albert Ritchie, Spiro Agnew, Martin O’Malley, and John Delaney
Part III -- Policies
Chapter 9 – Race, Housing, and Segregation in Baltimore
Chapter 10 – Transportation Policy: Questions of Power, Questions of Identity
Part IV – Places
Chapter 11 – Renewal, Revitalization, and Redevelopment Across Baltimore From the
Downtown Core to the Neighborhoods
Chapter 12 – Gerrymandering: Questions of Power, Questions of Identity
Chapter 13 – Has Change Come to Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Chapter 14 – Conclusions: The Communication Realities of State and Local Politics
Works Cited
Index
About the Authors
