AbstractIn his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, President Obama responded to postracial claims in the United States and to criticism that he had not done enough for black Americans by drawing on grace as the vehicle for collective salvation and his own agency on civil rights. Eulogizing Pinckney as a man of faith and grace, Obama affırmed the black church’s dual focus on religious faith and collective civil rights action as exemplary of American civil religion and treated Dylann Roof’s heinous act as both emanating from the sin of slavery and embodying prevenient grace that had led the nation to acceptance of justifying grace and the need for sanctifying action as he discussed the Confederate flag, systemic racism, and gun violence. In encouraging the ongoing work of collective sanctifıcation, Obama employed code-switching, particularly in his delivery, which served to heighten and reinforce his powerful message.

AbstractIn 2010, LeBron James, “The Chosen One,” humiliated Northeast Ohio by announcing on nationwide television that he was leaving the Cavaliers to play for Miami. James announced his return to Cleveland four years later through an open letter that set off euphoria in the region. This essay offers a postsecular framework to explain: (1) how James’s messianic image established a context in which his departure, in tandem with the way he announced his decision, made James a “sinner” in the eyes of Cleveland fans, and (2) how his open letter adapted the parable of the Prodigal Son to depict him as the son of Northeast Ohio who had made mistakes, rather than sinned and, simultaneously, as the wise father who was forgiving of others. James portrayed his departure as a necessary step in gaining maturity, yet—much like the Prodigal Son—admitted to a revelation about his relationship with Northeast Ohio.

Research Article| December 01 2017 Obama, Trump, and Reflections on the Rhetoric of Political Change Denise M. Bostdorff Denise M. Bostdorff Denise M. Bostdorff is Professor of Communication at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2017) 20 (4): 695–706. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.4.0695 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Denise M. Bostdorff; Obama, Trump, and Reflections on the Rhetoric of Political Change. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 December 2017; 20 (4): 695–706. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.4.0695 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2017 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.2017 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal Issue Section: ARTICLES You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| March 01 2016 Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II. By James J. Kimble. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014; pp. xv + 217. $19.95 paper. Denise M. Bostdorff Denise M. Bostdorff College of Wooster Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2016) 19 (1): 138–141. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.19.1.0138 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Denise M. Bostdorff; Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 March 2016; 19 (1): 138–141. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.19.1.0138 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2016 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.2016 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| March 01 2012 Inside the Nixon Administration: The Secret Diary of Arthur Burns, 1969-1974 Inside the Nixon Administration: The Secret Diary of Arthur Burns, 1969-1974. Robert H. Ferrell. Denise M. Bostdorff Denise M. Bostdorff Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2012) 15 (1): 173–176. https://doi.org/10.2307/41955611 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Denise M. Bostdorff; Inside the Nixon Administration: The Secret Diary of Arthur Burns, 1969-1974. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 March 2012; 15 (1): 173–176. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/41955611 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2012 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2012 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.