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Gage Chapel
One of the more intriguing politicians today is Jack Kemp whose rhetoric synthesizes images and arguments that appear to be contradictory. In his public discourse, Kemp proudly proclaims his staunch conservative supply-side economics, while at the same time aggressively chastising his own Republican colleagues for failing to be the true progressive party of Lincoln. Kemp's rhetoric cannot be examined in isolation but should be seen as a part of a larger conversation focusing on the inability of traditional conservatism and traditional liberalism to meaningfully respond to the growing political fragmentation, deepening cynicism, and diminished sense of community in America today. Kemp's rhetorical synthesis provides one possible bridging mechanism that directly addresses these current problems.
One of the more intriguing politicians today is former Housing and Urban Develpment Secretary Jack Kemp whose rhetoric brings together images and arguments that appear to be contradictory. He proudly proclaims his staunch conservative credentials as a key architect of Reagan's supply side economics, while at the same time aggressively chastising his own Republican colleagues for failing to be the true party of Lincoln. Such a party, he argues, must vigorously reach out to help forgotten African Americans, Hispanics, other minorities, and the underclass who have been left behind while the rest of America has prospered. Kemp is, at the same time, the most conservative and most liberal of Republicans. He is worthy of study not only because of his unusual rhetoric, but because his rhetoric is an important part of a larger intellectual conversation occurring today about the relevancy of contemporary politics.
A growing number of writers are focusing on the inability of traditional conservatism and traditional liberalism to meaningfully address current political, cultural, and social problems, including the problems of growing political fragmentation, deepening cynicism in the body politic, and a continued weakening of community bonds. Importantly, they concur that a central issue in the current American scene is finding rhetorical and conceptual bridging mechanisms to provide alternatives to current polarizing right/left politics.
These writers believe the right-left dichotomy can be resolved or at least greatly ameliorated. Dionne, for example, sees hope for a new reconciliation of right-left politics because "in truth, America's cultural values are a rich and not necessarily contradictory mix of liberal...