z-logo
Premium
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.

This content is not available in your region!

Continue researching here.

Having issues? You can contact us here