Encouraging Bipartisanship: Polarization and Civility As Rhetorical Tools for Ameliorating the U.S
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Aquila Digital Community The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Spring 5-1-2015 Encouraging Bipartisanship: Polarization and Civility as Rhetorical Tools for Ameliorating the U.S. Senate’s Partisan Environment Angela Marie McGowan University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the American Politics Commons, Social Influence and oliticalP Communication Commons, and the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Recommended Citation McGowan, Angela Marie, "Encouraging Bipartisanship: Polarization and Civility as Rhetorical Tools for Ameliorating the U.S. Senate’s Partisan Environment" (2015). Dissertations. 57. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/57 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi ENCOURAGING BIPARTISANSHIP: POLARIZATION AND CIVILITY AS RHETORICAL TOOLS FOR AMELIORATING THE U.S. SENATE’S PARTISAN ENVIRONMENT by Angela Marie McGowan Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2015 ABSTRACT ENCOURAGING BIPARTISANSHIP: POLARIZATION AND CIVILITY AS RHETORICAL TOOLS FOR AMELIORATING THE U.S. SENATE’S PARTISAN ENVIRONMENT by Angela Marie McGowan May 2015 On October 1, 2013, the Senate buckled under the pressure of intense partisanship. Dramatically demonstrating their lack of mutual agreement, senators refrained from conducting the nation’s business for 16 days. Considerable media attention covered this shut down, especially the ensuing rhetorical activities of the Senate’s female policymakers who urged bipartisanship. The flurry of activity surrounding the legislative impasse sparked this dissertation’s conceptual orientation. Accordingly, this investigation reveals how Washington lawmakers can, in good faith, set aside partisan views in order to accommodate policy objectives. This project reveals rhetorical strategies that, when utilized, are capable of facilitating Senate bipartisanship. Each chapter analyzes a variety of women senators’ discourse, including 98 floor speeches and 75 media texts, to critically assess how their rhetorical strategies elevated the Senate’s partisan environment. Specifically, Chapter II examines how constitutive rhetoric and the rhetoric of polarization helped these policymakers create a bipartisan reality. Chapter III discusses media framing and narrative theory to understand how journalists constructed the government shutdown narrative. Chapter IV employs Campbell’s (1989) model of feminine style to assess how female senators encourage civility. Finally, Chapter V argues that by using rhetoric that ii urges civility, relationship building, and rhetoric of polarization, the senators strengthened legislative deliberation In conclusion, the dissertation contributes to the scholarly conversation about civility, incivility, and bipartisanship. The project’s findings expose rhetorically complex scenarios facing the government’s legislative bodies, the rhetorical maintenance of deliberation, and how cooperative lawmakers rhetorically construct civility. Close attention to the discourse of female senators reveals, I argue, a comprehension of how motivated policymakers can rhetorically construct a bipartisan legislative body. iii COPYRIGHT BY ANGELA MARIE MCGOWAN 2015 The University of Southern Mississippi ENCOURAGING BIPARTISANSHIP: POLARIZATION AND CIVILITY AS RHETORICAL TOOLS FOR AMELIORATING THE U.S. SENATE’S PARTISAN ENVIRONMENT by Angela Marie McGowan A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: Dr. Wendy Atkins-Sayre________________ Committee Chair Dr. Keith Erickson____________________ Dr. Lawrence Hosman_________________ Dr. John Meyer_______________________ Dr. Seven Venette_____________________ Dr. Karen Coats______________________ Dean of the Graduate School May 2015 DEDICATION I would never have been able to finish my dissertation without the support of my family and encouragement from friends. I am blessed to have had you by my side during all the highs and lows of graduate school. I would like to thank my parents, Marcia and Daniel McGowan, for motivating me to follow my dream and for reminding me that I am braver than I believe, stronger than I seem, and smarter than I think. My sister, Lauren Froelich, was my cheerleader, and for that I am ever grateful. I am thankful for the support of my friends. Kelly Kaiser, your humorous pictures and inspiring greeting cards elevated my spirits. Thank you Rebecca Shamble and Genva Anderson for the care packages and emotional support. I am fortunate to have had the reassurance of Colleen Mestayer, Amanda Cline, and Elizabeth Smith. I appreciate all the baked goods, academic encouragement, and for believing in me. I dedicate the dissertation to my nephew, Daniel Froelich, and express my hope that as he grows up our lawmakers learn how to put their partisan affiliations aside and legislate in good faith. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my committee director, Dr. Wendy Atkins-Sayre, for reading drafts of the dissertation, providing feedback, and helping me advance my ideas. I would also like to thank Dr. Keith Erickson for being my sounding board and for helping me become a clearer writer and more effective rhetorical critic. Special thanks goes to Dr. Lawrence Hosman, Dr. John Meyer, and Dr. Steve Venette for advising me to pursue the bipartisan angle of the rhetorical situation and for your advice throughout the duration of this project. I appreciate Allison Tharp’s willingness to use her critical eye to edit my dissertation. This dissertation benefited immensely from everyone’s constructive feedback. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………ii DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………...v CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………….......…1 The Federal Budget and the 2013 Government Shutdown Deliberation in the U.S. Senate Women in the Senate Method Chapter Synopses II. CONSTITUTING A GROUP IDENTITY………………………………39 Partisan Politics and the Government Shutdown Partisan Polarization Polarizing Rhetoric Constitutive Rhetoric Polarized Factions Rhetorical Tactic: Message Variables Rhetorical Tactic: Strategy of Affirmation Rhetorical Tactic: Strategy of Subversion Implications and Conclusion III. POLITICAL EVENTS, ACTORS, ISSUES.……………………………82 Background: The News Media and the Government Shutdown U.S. Senators and the News Media The Narrative Approach The Issue: The Blame Frame The Political Actors The Solutions Implications and Conclusion IV. ADOPTING FEMININE STYLE AS A MEANS FOR ENCOURAGING CIVILITY IN THE U.S. SENATE.……………………...………..……135 Rhetorical Setting The Case for Civility vi Feminine Style Characteristic I: Audience as Peers and Valuing Inclusivity Characteristic II: Claims of Personal Experience Characteristic III: Inviting Policymakers to Participate Implications and Conclusion V. A CONCLUSION: USING RHETORIC TO ACHIEVE BIPARTISANSHIP ……………………………………………………184 Legislative Deliberation Achieving Bipartisanship: Civility Achieving Bipartisanship: Relationship Building Achieving Bipartisanship: Rhetoric of Polarization Concluding Thoughts REFERENCES………………………………………………...……………………….200 vii 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION As the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2013, the United States Federal Government shut down, and the “world’s greatest deliberative body” buckled under the pressure of extreme partisans who were more interested in grandstanding than governing. During the bitter budget battle, Congressional Republicans and Senate Democrats exchanged undercutting statements and created a dysfunctional government. Many blamed the tea party Republicans for the “manufactured crisis,” and 70% of respondents to a Wall Street Journal /NBC News poll expressed their belief that Republicans in Congress put their political agenda before the good of the country (King, 2013). The government shutdown debate reflected a more partisan and individualistic Senate in which lawmakers argued for a side that benefited their particular interests. The partisan rancor supported researchers’ findings that Congress has become intensely divided, and politicians’ partisan bickering made the gulf between the parties worse (Abramowitz, 2010; Bond & Fleisher, 2000; Mann & Ornstein, 2012; Sinclair, 2008). Partisan polarization makes party votes more attractive and creates ideological distance between the two parties (Sinclair, 2000). Consequently, the Senate has become a space for divisive political rhetoric, partisan conflict, and an occasional lapse of civility (Sinclair, 2000). The Senate’s handling of the 2013 government shutdown illustrates how the contemporary Senate functions rhetorically within a polarized political environment. For instance, as senators urged their colleagues to reopen the federal government, many violated Senate Rule 19 that states that no lawmaker will use conduct unbecoming of a senator. As a result, Senator Reid (D-NV) delivered