Rhetoric

Hadji Girl

by Sheldon Rampton — June 22, 2006 - 7:30pm
  • Topics: Iraq, Race / Ethnic Issues, Religion, Rhetoric

    • Joshua Belile performs "Hadji Girl" at the Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.

    Ann Coulter's PR Formula: Hate Speech + Media Coverage = Best-Seller

    by John Stauber — June 12, 2006 - 8:04am

    David Carr examines Ann Coulter's simple PR formula for marketing her best-selling books: vile hate speech echoed in the mainstream media.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, June 12, 2006

    Stepping Up the Attack on Green Activists

    by Sheldon Rampton — October 3, 2005 - 11:05am

    "A remorseless rapist in Hamilton County, Ohio is sentenced to 15 years in prison for beating and raping a 57-year-old woman," writes Kelly Hearn. "An environmental activist in California is sentenced to 22 years and 8 months for burning three SUVs at a car dealership after taking precautions to harm no lives.

    Main Source: 
    AlterNet, September 30, 2005

    Is That "Anti-war Left" or "Anti-gay Right"?

    by Sheldon Rampton — August 31, 2005 - 8:35pm

    Media Matters caught Sean Hannity on Tuesday blaming the "anti-war left" for protesting at the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq. In reality, the protesters were members of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) in Topeka, Kansas, which claims that terrorism and other disasters are divine retribution against America for the "sin" of tolerating homosexuality.

    Main Source: 
    Media Matters for America, August 31, 2005

    Spreading Freedom at the RNC

    by Laura Miller — September 2, 2004 - 10:00pm

    "Over the first three nights, the Republican Convention speakers carefully crafted a tri-partite frame for George W. Bush's Thursday acceptance speech: Night 1: The Global War on Terror defines our lives and our generation. Night 2: With enough discipline, all Americans can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become prosperous. Those girly men have only themselves to blame.

    Main Source: 
    Alternet, September 3, 2004

    Back to the Future

    by Sheldon Rampton — September 1, 2004 - 10:00pm

    "For $2.4 trillion, guess what word other than 'a,' 'and,' and 'the' - occurs most frequently in the acceptance speech George W. Bush delivered tonight," writes William Saletan. "The word is 'will.' It appears 76 times. This was a speech all about what Bush will do, and what will happen, if he becomes president. Except he already is president. He already ran this campaign. He promised great things. They haven't happened. So, he's trying to go back in time. He wants you to see in him the potential you saw four years ago.

    Main Source: 
    Slate, September 2, 2004

    Full Court Press Release

    by Laura Miller — August 19, 2004 - 10:00pm

    "Over the past few weeks of Presidential WrestleMania MMIV, the Bush campaign has fired off more than a dozen press releases about John Kerry's policies on energy, nuclear-waste storage, forest and water protections, and other environmental issues - a hodgepodge of smears, exaggerations, and obfuscations intended to besmirch Kerry's pro-environment reputation," Grist Magazine's Amanda Griscom writes. Polls indicate that swing-state voters are concerned about things like pollution and wilderness conservation, prompting the Bush campaign to "neutralize" the environment as an election issue.

    Main Source: 
    Alternet, August 20, 2004

    The Presidential Race Card

    by Diane Farsetta — August 10, 2004 - 10:00pm

    "A Washington nonprofit group with ties to the Republican Party is airing radio ads ... asking if U.S. Senator John Kerry takes 'the black community for granted?'" The group, People of Color United, was founded last week by DC Parents For School Choice, which supports school vouchers.

    Main Source: 
    Philadelphia Daily News, August 11, 2004

    Compassionate Conventions

    by Diane Farsetta — July 21, 2004 - 10:00pm

    "On Saturday, [Republican] convention officials will begin a highly organized nationwide campaign to get volunteers to donate blood, feed the hungry and operate community health fairs. Initially, it will be part of a broader effort to draw attention away from the Democratic National Convention.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, July 22, 2004

    A Funny Way To Show You Care

    by Diane Farsetta — July 10, 2004 - 10:00pm

    GOP pollster Frank Luntz's advice against 1998 rookie Senate candidate John Edwards - "it's almost impossible to go too far when it comes to demonizing lawyers" - wasn't successful, but Luntz remains influential. Molly Ivins writes that Luntz is now focusing on women undecided voters.

    Main Source: 
    Philadelphia Inquirer, July 11, 2004
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