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The Contextual Presidency: The Negative Shift in Presidential Immigration Rhetoric
Author(s) -
Arthur Damien,
Woods Joshua
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/psq.12041
Subject(s) - rhetoric , presidency , immigration , presidential system , political science , terrorism , context (archaeology) , immigration policy , power (physics) , political economy , sociology , law , politics , history , linguistics , philosophy , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
Party platforms from 1993 through 2008 show a positive approach to immigration policy. Presidential rhetoric, however, does not match the tone of the platforms. There are negative frames (illegality, criminality, terrorism, and economic threats) in nearly 50% of immigration speeches. We argue that social context motivates presidents to talk about immigration negatively. This analysis provides insight into rhetoric as responsive to context rather than a mechanism of power. We coded each speech on immigration from P residents B ill C linton, George W . B ush, and B arack O bama, and found statistically significant results that show that immigration rhetoric is more negative when certain social conditions are present.