On public moral appeals and identification

Jean Bethke Elshtain

pp. 121-133

in: Ian Carter, Mario Ricciardi (eds), Freedom, power and political morality, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001

Abstract

There are few safe predictions in politics. One is that during the next "presidential cycle", as the pundits like to call it, we will be treated to the usual homilies and appeals to our patriotism, our fundamental decency, our self-respect, and our capacity to make changes for the better. Such appeals nowadays seem to inspire little but cynicism among the American electorate. That is a pity, but understandable in light of just how low politics seems to have fallen amongst us. Rather than decrying our political cynicism or the sad state of political debate yet another time, I propose to reflect on the question of the nature of appeals made to us in our capacities as citizens and our responses to such appeals.