Introduction to the Special Issue on the Rhetoric of the 2016 U.S. Election

Abstract

In the introduction to the special issue, we provide arguments concerning the context surrounding the 2016 U.S. election. We explain our rationale for the special issue, as well as include an overview of the articles that compose the issue. We conclude with thanking everyone who made this special issue possible.

Keywords:

• 2016 U.S. election
• campaign rhetoric
• Trump
• rhetorical presidency

Notes

^1. The New York Times, “Transcript of the Second Debate,” New York Times, October 10, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/us/politics/transcript-second-debate.html.

^2. Pew Research Center, “Sharp Partisan Divisions in Views of National Institutions,” Pew Research Center, July 10, 2017, http://www.people-press.org/2017/07/10/sharp-partisan-divisions-in-views-of-national-institutions/.

^3. Pew Research Center, “Sharp Partisan Divisions in Views of National Institutions,” Pew Research Center, 2017.

^4. Carl Bialik, “How the Republican Field Dwindled from 17 to Donald Trump,” FiveThirtyEight, May 5, 2016, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-the-republican-field-dwindled-from-17-to-donald-trump/.

^5. The New York Times, “Who is Running for President?” New York Times (interactive), updated July 26, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/2016-presidential-candidates.html.

^6. The Economist, “A contest, or a coronation?” The Economist (print edition), April 11, 2015, https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21648005-she-has-no-serious-rivals-yet-democratic-nomination-voters-still-have-plenty.

^7. Harry Enten, “Meet the Democratic Candidates who Aren’t Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders,” FiveThirtyEight, October 13, 2016, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/democratic-debate-preview-omalley-chafee-webb/.

^8. The New York Times, “Who is Running for President?” New York Times (interactive).

^9. Judith S. Trent, Robert V. Friedenberg, and Robert E. Denton, Political Campaign Communication, 7th ed. (Landham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011).

^10. Sam Sanders, “Did Social Media Ruin Election 2016?” NPR.org, November 8, 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/11/08/500686320/did-social-media-ruin-election-2016.

^11. Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella, Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 76.

^12. “Blue Feed, Red Feed,” Wall Street Journal, created May 18, 2016, updated hourly as of January 25, 2018, http://graphics.wsj.com/blue-feed-red-feed/.

^13. Tessa Stuart, “A Timeline of the 23 October Surprises of the 2016 Election,” Rolling Stone, November 2, 2016, https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/a-timeline-of-the-23-october-surprises-of-the-2016-election-w447923. See also Marc Duvoisin, “Here’s What James Comey Said About Hillary Clinton’s Emails Last July,” Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2017, http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-comey-emails-1494374889-htmlstory.html.

^14. Julia Azari, “Will the Trump Tape Have a Bigger Effect on the Race than Past Controversies?” FiveThirtyEight, October 8, 2016, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/will-the-trump-tape-have-a-bigger-effect-on-the-race-than-past-controversies/.

^15. Gallup News Organization, “Presidential Election 2016: Key Indicators,” Gallup, http://news.gallup.com/poll/189299/presidential-election-2016-key-indicators.aspx?g_source=ELECTION_2016&g_medium=topic&g_campaign=tiles#pcf-image.

^16. CNN, “2016 Election Results,” CNN, last updated February 16, 2017, http://edition.cnn.com/election/results.