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Congressman George Hansen, convicted of four felony counts of filing false financial disclosure records, lost his 1984 reelection bid by less than 150 votes. Analyzing Hansen's apologetic rhetoric from the perspective of a generic, “paranoid style” of discourse illuminates why the Congressman was able to defend his character to the satisfaction of nearly one‐half of his constituency. Hansen's case helps to illustrate the development and function of a rhetorical genre in a given, historical context.
Notes
I would like to thank Mr. Nyle Short, who provided me with many press clippings and a copy of George the Dragon Slayer, and Professor Larry James Winn of Western Kentucky University for his helpful comments on an earlier draft of this essay.