The Anti-Intellectual Presidency : The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric From George Washington to George W. Bush

If the hallmarks of the intellectual are tolerance and acknowledgment of opposing views, then not many of us have these traits, or dare to show them. The complexities of one's views, or of one's person, do make good sound-bites. Indeed, one can get in trouble merely for discussing opposing viewpoints, since only those might be reported. But the media is a mirror of ourselves, and should not be blamed for our preferences. It is us then who have become lethargic. We have neither the time nor the energy to be bothered with all the facts: "I haven't got all day, you know." How about 15 minutes, as it might take just that long to appreciating what went on. Human affairs are not simple - notwithstanding our relentless efforts to make them so. It is only by appreciating their underlying complexity that we can understand them, and ultimately ourselves. If as Alexander Pope said "the proper study of man is man," then it will require our lifelong effort. And there are no shortcuts to studying, as Aristotle told us long ago.

Why has it been so long since an American president has effectively and consistently presented well-crafted, intellectually substantive arguments to the American public? Why have presidential utterances fallen from the rousing speeches of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, and FDR to a series of robotic repetitions of talking points and sixty-second soundbites, largely designed to obfuscate rather than illuminate?

In The Anti-Intellectual Presidency, Elvin Lim draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate this relentless qualitative decline, over the course of 200 years, in our presidents' ability to communicate with the public. Lim argues that the ever-increasing pressure for presidents to manage public opinion and perception has created a pathology of vacuous rhetoric and imagery where gesture and appearance matter more than accomplishment and fact. Lim tracks the campaign to simplify presidential discourse through presidential and speechwriting decisions made from the Truman to the present administration, explaining how and why presidents have embraced anti-intellectualism and vague platitudes as a public relations strategy. Lim sees this anti-intellectual stance as a deliberate choice rather than a reflection of presidents' intellectual limitations. Only the smart, he suggests, know how to dumb down. The result, he shows, is a dangerous debasement of our political discourse and a quality of rhetoric which has been described, charitably, as a linguistic struggle and, perhaps more accurately, as dogs barking idiotically through endless nights.

Sharply written and incisively argued, The Anti-Intellectual Presidency sheds new light on the murky depths of presidential oratory, illuminating both the causes and consequences of this substantive impoverishment.

Publishers Weekly

This slim, scathing book does not mince words about the current state of presidential rhetoric, frankly deploring its nosedive from our founding era. Drawing upon interviews with 42 presidential speech writers, Lim investigates what he sees as a particularly American phenomenon whereby most presidents have preferred to appear less, not more intellectually inclined than they actually were. He reveals the long institutional pedigree of anti-intellectualism in presidential addresses, from Harding to Eisenhower, Clinton (an intelligent but anti-intellectual president) to Bush, as presidents have positioned intellectuals as the piñatas of American politics. Lim builds his case systematically, introducing fascinating indices to measure oratorical sophistication or simplicity. A massive campaign of linguistic simplification is afoot, he argues, and he dissects inaugural addresses and presidential public papers, charting average sentence length, Flesch Readability and the preponderance of platitudes to evince a growing reification of style over substance. While his methodology is occasionally esoteric, Lim's presentation of the consequences of the manipulation of language in the political arena is clear and compelling, and will delight grammarians and political aficionados alike. (June)

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Why has it been so long since an American president has effectively and consistently presented well-crafted, intellectually substantive arguments to the American public? Why have presidential utterances fallen from the rousing speeches of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, and FDR to a series of robotic repetitions of talking points and sixty-second soundbites, largely designed to obfuscate rather than illuminate? In The Anti-Intellectual Presidency , Elvin Lim draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate this relentless qualitative decline, over the course of 200 years, in our presidents' ability to communicate with the public. Lim argues that the ever-increasing pressure for presidents to manage public opinion and perception has created a "pathology of vacuous rhetoric and imagery" where gesture and appearance matter more than accomplishment and fact. Lim tracks the campaign to simplify presidential discourse through presidential and speechwriting decisions made from the Truman to the present administration, explaining how and why presidents have embraced anti-intellectualism and vague platitudes as a public relations strategy. Lim sees this anti-intellectual stance as a deliberate choice rather than a reflection of presidents' intellectual limitations. Only the smart, he suggests, know how to dumb down. The result, he shows, is a dangerous debasement of our political discourse and a quality of rhetoric which has been described, charitably, as "a linguistic struggle" and, perhaps more accurately, as "dogs barking idiotically through endless nights." Sharply written and incisively argued, The Anti-Intellectual Presidency sheds new light on the murky depths of presidential oratory, illuminating both the causes and consequences of this substantive impoverishment. Contents......Page 18 1 The Problem of Presidential Rhetoric......Page 22 2 The Linguistic Simplification of Presidential Rhetoric......Page 38 3 The Anti-Intellectual Speechwriters......Page 59 4 The Substantive Impoverishment of Presidential Rhetoric......Page 73 5 Institutionalizing the Anti-Intellectual Presidency......Page 96 6 Indicting the Anti-Intellectual Presidency......Page 119 7 Reforming the Anti-Intellectual Presidency......Page 134 Appendix I: The General Inquirer (GI)......Page 142 Appendix II: Definitions of General Inquirer Categories Used......Page 146 Appendix III: Annual Messages, 1790–2006......Page 148 Appendix IV: Inaugural Addresses, 1789–2005......Page 154 Appendix V: Presidential Speechwriters Interviewed......Page 156 Appendix VI: The Flesch Readability Score......Page 160 Notes......Page 162 C......Page 194 J......Page 195 S......Page 196 W......Page 197 Oxford University Press, USA Contents 18 1 The Problem of Presidential Rhetoric 22 2 The Linguistic Simplification of Presidential Rhetoric 38 3 The Anti-Intellectual Speechwriters 59 4 The Substantive Impoverishment of Presidential Rhetoric 73 5 Institutionalizing the Anti-Intellectual Presidency 96 6 Indicting the Anti-Intellectual Presidency 119 7 Reforming the Anti-Intellectual Presidency 134 Appendix I: The General Inquirer (GI) 142 Appendix II: Definitions of General Inquirer Categories Used 146 Appendix III: Annual Messages, 1790–2006 148 Appendix IV: Inaugural Addresses, 1789–2005 154 Appendix V: Presidential Speechwriters Interviewed 156 Appendix VI: The Flesch Readability Score 160 Notes 162 Index 194 A 194 B 194 C 194 D 195 E 195 F 195 G 195 H 195 I 195 J 195 K 196 L 196 M 196 N 196 O 196 P 196 R 196 S 196 T 197 V 197 W 197 ISBN-13:,9780195342642 The problem of presidential rhetoric Rhetorical simplification and the anti-intellectual presidency Creating the anti-intellectual presidency Substantive impoverishment and the anti-intellectual presidency Institutionalizing the anti-intellectual presidency Defending and indicting the anti-intellectual presidency Reforming the anti-intellectual presidency Appendix I : the general inquirer (GI) Appendix II : definitions of GI categories used Appendix III : annual messages, 1790-2006 Appendix IV : inaugural addresses, 1789-2005 Appendix V : presidential speechwriters interviewed Appendix VI : the Flesch readability score. Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. The Problem of Presidential Rhetoric. 2. Rhetorical Simplification and the Anti-intellectual Presidency. 3. Creating the Anti-intellectual Presidency. 4. Substantive Impoverishment and the Anti-intellectual Presidency. 5. Institutionalizing the Anti-intellectual Presidency. 6. Defending and Indicting the Anti-intellectual Presidency. 7. Reforming the Anti-intellectual Presidency. Appendix I: The General Inquirer (GI). Appendix II: Definitions of GI Categories Used. Appendix III: Annual Messages, 1790-2006. Appendix IV: Inaugural Addresses, 1789-2005. Appendix V: Pr "In The Anti-Intellectual Presidency, Elvin T. Lim draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate the relentless qualitative decline, over the course of the past 200 years, in our presidents' ability to communicate with the public. Lim argues that the ever-increasing pressure for presidents to manage and massage public opinion has created a "pathology of vacuous rhetoric and imagery," in which applause-rendering platitudes and punch lines matter more than arguments and facts."--Résumé de l'éditeur "In The Anti-Intellectual Presidency, Elvin T. Lim draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate the relentless qualitative decline, over the course of the past 200 years, in our presidents' ability to communicate with the public. Lim argues that the ever-increasing pressure for presidents to manage and massage public opinion has created a "pathology of vacuous rhetoric and imagery," in which applause-rendering platitudes and punch lines matter more than arguments and facts."--Jacket