2006/11/01 by Michael J. Lee · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #American Political and Social Dynamics #Argumentative #Deliberation #Democracy #Epistemology #Law #Linguistics #Media Studies and Communication #Media studies #Philosophy #Political science #Politics #Populism #Representation (politics) #Rhetoric #Rhetoric and Communication Studies #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1080/00335630601080385
openalex publication_date 2006/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This essay argues that a sustained form can be located in the complicated history of populist rhetoric. Despite its chameleonic qualities, the advancement of populism is constituted by alterations in the focus and content, not the structure, of populist activism. This structure, or what I term its argumentative frame, positions a virtuous people against a powerful enemy and expresses disdain toward traditional forms of democratic deliberation and republican representation. I trace these themes through the rhetoric of the People's Party, Huey Long, and George Wallace. I conclude by analyzing the link between populism's persistence in U.S. history and the nation's Founding.