Culture, Rhetoric, and Voting: The Presidential Election of 2012

by Douglas M. Brattebo (Editor), Tom Lansford (Editor)

Overview

The presidential election of 2012 was among the most important in American history, both for the policies that will persist due to its result as well as the national political transformation it portends. The contest's outcome was the product of complex and fast-moving societal changes- demographic, technological, and economic- surfacing in American society. This volume, consisting of writings by leading scholars of American politics and the American presidency, examines the 2012 presidential election in its many facets. Particularly prominent in these analyses are: psychology, religion, and culture, rhetoric, and voting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629220406
Publisher:	University of Akron Press, The
Publication date:	11/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Douglas M. Brattebo is director of the Center for Engaged Ethics and assistant professor of political science at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. Brattebo is the coeditor of three other books, including The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment (2012). He is also the author of many book chapters, journal articles, and book reviews on topics ranging from President Obama's firing of General Stanley McChrystal to Newt Gingrich's crucial role in undermining civility in American political life.Tom Lansford is a professor of political science at the University of Southern Mississippi, Long Beach, and was academic dean for the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast operation from 2009 to 2014. Dr. Lansford is the author, coauthor, editor or coeditor of more than forty books, and the author of more than one hundred essays, book chapters, and reviews. His books include the Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy Since the Cold War  (2007) and 9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Chronology and Reference Guide  (2011). His more recent edited collections include: Judging Bush  (2009) and The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment  (2012).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction

1 Culture, Rhetoric, and Voting in the 2012 Election: Historical Observations Douglas M. Brattebo Robert J. Pauly, Jr. 3

I Psychology, Religion, and Culture

2 Understanding Barack Obama's Leadership: Gamble of the "Rational Democrat" William D. Pederson 9

3 Church and State in America: What Roger Williams Might Say Regarding the 2012 Presidential Election Max J. Skidmore 19

4 Perceptions of Mormonism: Romney's Faith-Based Challenges Luke Perry 42

5 The Culture Wars in the 2012 Presidential Election Graham G. Dodds 68

II Rhetoric

6 The Irrelevance of Truth: Postrhetorical Campaigning and the 2012 Conventions Justin S. Vaughn 95

7 The Politics of Inequality: How Team Obama: Appealed to the Base in the 2012 Presidential Election Matthew R. Miles 119

8 No Soviet Domination: Presidential Debates, the Media, and Public Reaction Douglas Mock 141

9 Barack Obama's Evolutionary Rhetoric as a Strategy for Supporting Same-Sex Marriage Casey Malone Maugh 163

III Voting

10 The Predisposing, Motivating, and Constraining Factors of Early Voting: Assessing the Impact of Campaign Strategies and Voting Laws Lisa Hager 185

11 Who Plays the Decider? Analyzing Key Voters in the 2012 Election: "A Mad Men Party in a Modern Family World" William J. Miller Sean D. Foreman 216

12 Constituency Appeals and Group Voting in the 2012 Presidential Election Mark D. Brewer Richard J. Powell 239

Contributors 277

Index 283