Description
Book SynopsisAnalyzes a half century of speeches, campaign advertisements, party platforms, and intellectual writings, systematically showing how Republican politicians and conservative intellectuals increasingly gave economic justifications for policies they once defended through appeals to freedom.
Trade Review"The Right Talk argues that during the last 30 years...the language and logic of the market have invaded almost every corner of society--to the right's great advantage...Smith's further point--important by itself--is that while Republicans shifted their rhetoric and arguments toward the logic of the market, Democrats made a different shift, to their own political disadvantage... The Right Talk [is] worth reading as [a provocation] to greater clarity about the still unanswered question of why Republicans keep winning."--Richard Parker, American Prospect "Given the upcoming elections and the current economic climate, this is a timely book, and one that can be understood by nonspecialists."--S.L. Harrison, Choice "The Right Talk is a brilliant, provocative, well-written, and well-argued scholarly work."--Philip C. Wander and Jay Busse, Rhetoric Review "Smith's book adds, in a lucid and effective way, to our understanding of the conservative revival."--Earl Sheridan, Political Science Quarterly "[A] provocative and persuasive account of the way the two major political parties in the United States have dealt with economic issues in the post-World War II period... [T]his is a well-written and researched work of sound judgment, which should be of value to scholars in a wide range of disciplines."--Paul D. Moreno, Labor History "The Right Talk provides a very valuable argument (and empirical evidence) that ideas and how parties present their arguments matter a great deal to voters. It is a book well-worth reading for those trying to understand contemporary American political dialogs."--Jeffrey M. Stonecash, Public Opinion Quarterly "The Right Talk will appeal to readers interested in rhetoric and framing, political sociology, modern conservatism, culture wars, and public policy. Its many strengths are evident: a timely topic, strong and sober writing, accessible presentation of survey data and relevant literatures, original content analyses, and a consistent, well-structured argument that challenges conventional thinking."--Amy E. Ansell, American Journal of Sociology
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: The Role of Rhetoric in the Formation of Policy 21 Chapter 3: Economic Insecurity and Its Rhetorical Consequences 47 Chapter 4: The Building of Conservatives' Intellectual Capacity 73 Chapter 5: The Move to Economic Arguments by Conservative Intellectuals 95 Chapter 6: The Rhetorical Adaptations of the Republican Party 123 Chapter 7: Democrats and the Long Shadow of Deficit Politics 151 Chapter 8: The Republicans' Electoral Edge on the Economy 178 Chapter 9: The Broad Reach and Future Prospects of Economic Rhetoric 203 Notes 219 Acknowledgments 253 Index 255
