The Style and Rhetoric of Elizabeth Dole

Public Persona and Political Discourse

Rachel B. Friedman and Ronald E. Lee

This book analyses the public discourse of Elizabeth Dole. It explores the way in which this trail-blazing public figure navigated the double binds that confront women who obtain and exercise political power. The text argues that Dole crafted a conservative, feminine persona in which she depicted herself as a selfless public servant. This sense of servant was defined through Dole’s appeal to the transcendent moral purposes of Christianity. She used this image to great effect in her most noteworthy public addresses, especially her 1996 Republican National Convention speech in support of her husband’s presidential campaign. In her 2008 unsuccessful North Carolina U.S. Senate reelection campaign Elizabeth Dole’s political style unraveled in the face of a series of effective attacks by her opponent, Kay Hagan, and her own desperate rhetorical appeals to stave off defeat.

Lexington Books

Pages: 140 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7391-8237-6 • Hardback • December 2013 • $101.00 • (£78.00)

978-0-7391-8238-3 • eBook • December 2013 • $96.00 • (£74.00)

Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric, Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State, Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies, Political Science / Women in Politics, Language Arts & Disciplines / Political Communication

The Style and Rhetoric of Elizabeth Dole

Public Persona and Political Discourse

Hardback

eBook

Summary

This book analyses the public discourse of Elizabeth Dole. It explores the way in which this trail-blazing public figure navigated the double binds that confront women who obtain and exercise political power. The text argues that Dole crafted a conservative, feminine persona in which she depicted herself as a selfless public servant. This sense of servant was defined through Dole’s appeal to the transcendent moral purposes of Christianity. She used this image to great effect in her most noteworthy public addresses, especially her 1996 Republican National Convention speech in support of her husband’s presidential campaign. In her 2008 unsuccessful North Carolina U.S. Senate reelection campaign Elizabeth Dole’s political style unraveled in the face of a series of effective attacks by her opponent, Kay Hagan, and her own desperate rhetorical appeals to stave off defeat.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 140 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7391-8237-6 • Hardback • December 2013 • $101.00 • (£78.00)

978-0-7391-8238-3 • eBook • December 2013 • $96.00 • (£74.00)

Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric, Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State, Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies, Political Science / Women in Politics, Language Arts & Disciplines / Political Communication

Author

Rachel Friedman is assistant professor of communication studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Ronald Lee is professor of communication studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: Dole’s Personal Life

Chapter Two: Women’s Struggles with Power and Politics

Chapter Three: Analysis of Dole’s Public Persona

Chapter Four: The Unraveling of Elizabeth Dole’s Image

Conclusion

Reviews

This important and provocative book examines the complex character and rhetorical style of Elizabeth Dole. The book illustrates the multiple challenges Dole faced as a political spouse, candidate, cabinet officer, and elected official struggling to maintain a moderate political identity in a Republican Party that was becoming increasingly strident and uncompromising.
— Tom Hollihan, University of Southern California

The Style and Rhetoric of Elizabeth Dole provides an insightful analysis of Mrs. Dole’s rhetorical career and makes an important contribution to our understanding of women’s political speech.

— Aysel Morin, East Carolina University