In the face of loud opposition against Hillary Clinton by some supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, solid addresses Monday (Jul. 25) night at the Democratic National Convention by the senator and First Lady Michelle Obama helped to promote party unity, a researcher into political rhetoric said.
Mary Stuckey, professor of communication at Georgia State University, has analyzed presidential speeches from Franklin D. Roosevelt to President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union Address.
She is available for comment, and her contact information is viewable in the box above to logged-in, registered users of the Newswise system.
“The whole tone of the convention shifted,” Stuckey said. “It was a well-orchestrated evening, with speeches built on one another.
“Sen. Cory Booker, Michelle Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Sanders were a formidable combination,” she said.
Television coverage of the DNC’s first night played up the boos of some Sanders delegates during the speeches of some speakers, but in the end, it isn’t exactly accurate of how many Sanders supporters may actually vote this fall, Stuckey said.
“While there are disappointed delegates, 90 percent of Sanders supporters are expected to vote for Clinton,” she said.
“And yes, the Democrats are pretty unified,” Stuckey continued. “Sanders will get nominated, and they’ll call the roll (for voting), but that’s not a lack of unity. It’s how democracy works.”
Stuckey has authored numerous articles on political rhetoric, and is the author of The Good Neighbor: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Rhetoric of American Power (Michigan State University Press, 2013), Jimmy Carter, Human Rights, and the National Agenda (Texas A&M University Press, 2008), and Slipping the Surly Bonds: Ronald Reagan’s Challenger Address (Texas A&M University Press, 2006), among other publications.
More information is available at http://communication.gsu.edu/profile/stuckey/.
Those who are unable to view the contact information above may contact Jeremy Craig in the public relations office of Georgia State University at [email protected].
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