Research Article| December 01 2017 Considering Political Identity: Conservatives, Republicans, and Donald Trump Michael J. Lee Michael J. Lee Michael J. Lee is Associate Professor Communication at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He can be reached at leem@cofc.edu. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2017) 20 (4): 719–730. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.4.0719 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Michael J. Lee; Considering Political Identity: Conservatives, Republicans, and Donald Trump. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 December 2017; 20 (4): 719–730. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.4.0719 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.

Abstract William F. Buckley afforded conservatives of all stripes a provocative rhetorical style, a gladiatorial style, as I term it. The gladiatorial style is a flashy combative style whose ultimate aim is the creation of inflammatory drama. I claim that conservatives encountered Buckley’s potent arguments about God, government, and markets and the gladiatorial style simultaneously. The theatrical appeal of Buckley’s gladiatorial style inspired conservative imitators with disparate beliefs and, over several decades, became one of the principal rhetorical templates for the performance of conservatism.