"Redemption and American Politics"
Dan P. McAdams
Description:
Excerpt: "[T]he Republican Party has groomed candidates and honed messages that resonate deeply with a story of life that Americans hold dear. It is the narrative of redemption -- a story about an innocent protagonist in a dangerous world who sticks to simple principles and overcomes suffering and hardship in the end. This is a story that many productive and caring American adults -- Democrats, Republicans, and Independents -- love to tell about their own lives. Republicans, however, have found ways of talking about public life and political issues that reinforce this story. And to the extent that politics is personal, many Americans may vote their story, rather than their pocketbook."
Excerpt: "[T]he Republican Party has groomed candidates and honed messages that resonate deeply with a story of life that Americans hold dear. It is the narrative of redemption -- a story about an innocent protagonist in a dangerous world who sticks to simple principles and overcomes suffering and hardship in the end. This is a story that many productive and caring American adults -- Democrats, Republicans, and Independents -- love to tell about their own lives. Republicans, however, have found ways of talking about public life and political issues that reinforce this story. And to the extent that politics is personal, many Americans may vote their story, rather than their pocketbook."
Resource Access:
Available to the General Public
Available to the General Public
Copyright / Creative Commons Status:
Copyright
Copyright
Copyright / Creative Commons Details:
(c) The Chronicle of Higher Education
(c) The Chronicle of Higher Education
Document Source and Bibliographical Information:
The Chronicle Review vol. 51 no. 15 (Dec. 3, 2004)
The Chronicle Review vol. 51 no. 15 (Dec. 3, 2004)
