Ideology and Argument: Mitt Romney and the GOP in the 2012 Election
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Issue Date
2013-08-31Author
Kirk, Justin Ward
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
107 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
Communication Studies
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This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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This paper examines four rhetorical events during the 2012 presidential election to examine how ideology and argument are informed by one another in discussions of policy during campaigns. Using the first two Republican primary debates as well as the party platform and the nomination acceptance speech by Romney, this study offers a descriptive analysis and ideological study of the arguments made in 2012 by Mitt Romney during his campaign for President. The study argues that ideological constraints prevented Mitt Romney from adequately developing substantive or flexible policy arguments during the course of the election. The study also offers a way of examining ideology from the arguments provided by candidates and party officials. This study examines the way in which taxation, government, and constitution operate to organize arguments around the relevant ideological markers. Using the Affordable Care Act as an example of these processes, this thesis will provide an explanation for the failure of purity demands and ideological argument in the context of a moderate and independent electorate.
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- Communication Studies Dissertations and Theses [275]
- Theses [3944]
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