Supporting Dingell-Norwood, Getting Jeremy a Job, and Waving a Magic Wand: The Decay of Presidential Debate Rhetoric from 1960 to 2020

• In Event: Advances in the Study of the Presidency

Brief Overview

In presidential debates since 1960, candidates’ rhetoric has become vaguer, less policy-oriented and more that of a would-be ruler who can guarantee outcomes. Candidates have increasingly rejected the Neustadtian model of the president-as-clerk.

Author

• Douglas S Mock, Morehead State University