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The Triumph of Rhetoric Over Policy: Gubernatorial Politics in the American South, 1967–1972
Author(s) -
May Vaughn
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
southeastern political review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1747-1346
pISSN - 0730-2177
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-1346.1999.tb00550.x
Subject(s) - rhetoric , governor , rhetorical question , politics , institution , power (physics) , political science , tone (literature) , public administration , political economy , sociology , law , linguistics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Despite the wealth of research on the office of governor since the 1960s, studies of the rhetorical/symbolic power of the office are not commonplace. As a result, an incomplete picture of the office emerges, a problem magnified in the South, a region with an exceptionally rich oral tradition. Southern gubernatorial performance from 1967–1972 concerning the issue of school integration provides an excellent opportunity to examine an era where gubernatorial rhetorical opportunities assume center‐stage in explaining governor‐constituent relations. An examination of four southern governors reveals that executives in this period fulfilled their integration campaign pledges not in a literal policymaking sense, but through the political rhetoric, alliances, and general racial tone adopted by their administrations. This finding highlights the importance of gubernatorial symbolism and suggests that gubernatorial power is not rooted solely in the institution, but in the cultural and political environment as well.