15. The Great Society as a rhetorical proposition
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David Zarefsky
Abstract
The Great Society programs of President Lyndon Johnson reflected commitment to the quality of life, the idea of affirmative action, and the government’s role as stimulant and guarantor of social change. Obstacles to adopting the programs were overcome by employing conservative themes, claiming a moral imperative to act, and distinguishing the Great Society from other programs, particularly welfare and race-based programs. This rhetorical stance secured the adoption of numerous Great Society programs even in the absence of a groundswell of public support.
Abstract
The Great Society programs of President Lyndon Johnson reflected commitment to the quality of life, the idea of affirmative action, and the government’s role as stimulant and guarantor of social change. Obstacles to adopting the programs were overcome by employing conservative themes, claiming a moral imperative to act, and distinguishing the Great Society from other programs, particularly welfare and race-based programs. This rhetorical stance secured the adoption of numerous Great Society programs even in the absence of a groundswell of public support.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Permissions ix
- Introduction: The field of political argumentation 1
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Part I. Early American political argumentation
- 1. From “conflict” to “Constitutional question” 11
- 2. John Tyler and the rhetoric of the accidental presidency 31
- 3. Debating slavery by proxy 51
- 4. Henry Clay and the election of 1844 63
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Part II. Abraham Lincoln’s political argumentation
- 5. Consistency and change in Lincoln’s rhetoric about equality 85
- 6. “Public sentiment is everything” 109
- 7. Lincoln and the House Divided 125
- 8. The Lincoln-Douglas debates revisited 155
- 9. Philosophy and rhetoric in Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address 185
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Part III. Argumentation and American foreign policy
- 10. The self-sealing rhetoric of John Foster Dulles 209
- 11. Foreign policy as persuasion 221
- 12. George W. Bush discovers rhetoric 233
- 13. Making the case for war 255
- 14. The U.S. and the world 281
-
Part IV. American political argumentation since the 1960s
- 15. The Great Society as a rhetorical proposition 303
- 16. Lyndon Johnson redefines “equal opportunity” 323
- 17. Civil rights and civil conflict 337
- 18. Martin Luther King, the American Dream, and Vietnam 347
- 19. Reagan’s safety net for the truly needy 365
- 20. Obama’s Lincoln 375
- Index 383
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Permissions ix
- Introduction: The field of political argumentation 1
-
Part I. Early American political argumentation
- 1. From “conflict” to “Constitutional question” 11
- 2. John Tyler and the rhetoric of the accidental presidency 31
- 3. Debating slavery by proxy 51
- 4. Henry Clay and the election of 1844 63
-
Part II. Abraham Lincoln’s political argumentation
- 5. Consistency and change in Lincoln’s rhetoric about equality 85
- 6. “Public sentiment is everything” 109
- 7. Lincoln and the House Divided 125
- 8. The Lincoln-Douglas debates revisited 155
- 9. Philosophy and rhetoric in Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address 185
-
Part III. Argumentation and American foreign policy
- 10. The self-sealing rhetoric of John Foster Dulles 209
- 11. Foreign policy as persuasion 221
- 12. George W. Bush discovers rhetoric 233
- 13. Making the case for war 255
- 14. The U.S. and the world 281
-
Part IV. American political argumentation since the 1960s
- 15. The Great Society as a rhetorical proposition 303
- 16. Lyndon Johnson redefines “equal opportunity” 323
- 17. Civil rights and civil conflict 337
- 18. Martin Luther King, the American Dream, and Vietnam 347
- 19. Reagan’s safety net for the truly needy 365
- 20. Obama’s Lincoln 375
- Index 383
