The cultural pulpit: Rhetoric, executive power, and the Clinton presidency

How has President Bill Clinton used the constitutional powers, myriad rhetorical resources, and symbolic dimensions of the American presidency to address and influence cultural issues? This dissertation examines the intensive attention given to cultural issues in the Clinton presidency, systematically analyzing the contemporary execution of presidential power in the realm of cultural affairs. In this endeavor, The Cultural Pulpit illustrates Bill Clinton's strategic utilization of the institutional, quasi-institutional, and rhetorical powers of the presidency to advance values that shape and define American culture.;Suggesting that the president may be seen as much as a cultural figure as a political one, this research identifies three specific roles consistently portrayed by Bill Clinton in three areas of public policy: president as parent (raising and protecting children); president as repairer of the breach (advocating civil rights, gay rights, and racial harmony); and president as defender of the faith (protecting and promoting religious expression). In the process, this study reveals and examines the symbolic gestures, piecemeal initiatives, substantive policy achievements, and political stalemates related to Clinton's portrayal and promotion of these three roles; sheds light on the political and social milieu surrounding Clinton's attention to culture and values; considers cultural leadership as an integral component of presidential leadership; and contemplates the benefits and limitations of using the Cultural Pulpit as a model of presidential governance. Lastly, this study suggests future frontiers of presidency scholarship related to the Cultural Pulpit and the rhetorical presidency.