Eloquence in an Electronic Age

"An eye-opening, well-written text which clearly describes how radio and television have influenced our political discourse. No one can fully understand politics in the Electronic Era without consulting this fine volume."--David W. Anderson, Indiana University, South Bend "In her most timely and instructive book, Eloquence in an Electronic Age, Jamieson...casts her learning on the political rhetoric (or 'eloquence') of today, drawing on fascinating comparisons with historical practice....Applying her own criteria, we see that Ms. Jamieson's work not only makes an excellent book, but it would make an excellent speech."--James David Barber, The New York Times Book Review "Kathleen Hall Jamieson has produced an interesting, well-researched and indeed important book ..." Political Studies "Stimulating and thoughtful....Jamieson takes us on a tour of rhetoric from the Greeks to Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, with side trips to examine the problems of less successful communicators, such as Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter."--The Christian Science Monitor "An excellent summary of a subject that in some ways touches us all. Jamieson's in-depth summaries of the speaking styles of Truman, Dewey, Reagan, Carter, Bush, and Ferraro are classic and classy."--Kirkus Reviews "Jamieson's scholarship, her command of ideas, and her insights are superb."--Los Angeles Times "A brilliant and engrossing study of how American rhetoric has changed over the years....Rich in anecdote, often extremely funny, scholarly, and somewhat unsettling."--The Washington Post Book World "A brilliant and engrossing study of how American rhetoric has changed over the years. It is rich in anecdote, often extremely funny, scholarly, and somewhat unsettling....This is [also] an important book, about much more than highfalutin' phrasing. It is about our very soul as a nation, for what our leaders say reflects what we are.""--The Washington Post Book World "In this important study of the impact of television on presidential rhetoric, Kathleen Hall Jamieson shows how successful (and not so successful) presidents have measured up to the demand for up-close and personal communication....Couldn't be more timely. It conveys an enormous amount of information, some of it academic, some of it anecdotal, with charm and wit and wisdom."--The Houston Post "I'm extremely pleased by the integration of rhetorical theory with practical concerns of providing explanation and advice about political advice."--John McKiernan, University of South Dakota "An interesting book on a most important topic!"--David A. Freeman, Washburn University "If there was ever a doubt that the mass media have changed politics, Jamieson's work removes that doubt once and for all."--Robert R. Mendenhall, Southwestern Adventist College "I'm extremely pleased by the integrtion of rhetorical theory into practical concerns of providing explanation and advice about political rhetoric."--John McKiernan, University of South Dakota "Insightful and thought provoking, Eloquence reminds students of the critical role of public discourse in the past and challenges them to apply critical tools of analysis to contemporary political and social leaders as they address the key issues of the day."--Dr. Kevin Dean, West Chester University "Conveys an enormous amount of information, some of it academic, some of it anecdotal, with charm and wit and wisdom. Its central thesis--that the TV style is the effeminate style--has remarkable explanatory power."--Christian Science Monitor "This volume is essential reading for political scientists, historians, and scholars of political communication."--Presidential Studies Quarterly "An excellent summary of a subject that in some ways touches us all. Jamieson's in-depth summaries of the speaking styles of Truman, Dewey, Reagan, Carter, Bush, and Ferraro are classic and classy."--Kirkus Reviews "[Jamieson's] probing analysis of presidential rhetoric provides some fascinating insights into the minds of America's recent leaders."--Booklist