Balancing on the political high wire: The role of humor in the rhetoric of Ann Richards

Abstract

An examination of rhetoric from the political career of former Texas Governor Ann Richards reveals important roles that humor can play in women's political strategies. Richards used humor to successfully negotiate conflicting and constraining roles, including national political party outsider versus Texas insider and woman versus politician. Richards also used humor as a tactic for negotiating and reorganizing superiority and subordination of gender expectations in public life. Considering the case of Ann Richards, this article examines the constraints and opportunities regional sociopolitical and cultural factors have on women's political rhetoric.