The once great Democratic Party
People have said to me, “What personnel examples do you have of the demise of the Democratic Party?” I have
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Richard E. Vatz https://wp.towson.edu/vatz/ is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of political rhetoric at Towson University and author of The Only Authentic of Persuasion: the Agenda-Spin Model (Bookwrights House, 2024) and over 200 other works, essays, lectures, and op-eds. He is the benefactor of the Richard E. Vatz Best Debater Award at Towson. The Van Bokkelen Auditorium at Towson University has been named after him.
Author: Richard E. Vatz, Ph.D
The prescient rhetorician: The end of the war with Iran
I have been a professor of rhetoric and communication for over a half-century. Here is my rhetorical prediction for the
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The most uninformed and dangerous argument against American attacks on Iran
I have been a professor of rhetoric and communication for over 50 years, and when I see manifestly illogical justifications
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Polarized America: A Personal Odyssey
Just observing some of the rancorous give-and-take on my conservative Facebook site and in my career: The country, it is
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News Credibility, Political Consequences and the Case of ICE
Prof. Robert P. Newman, the late head of the William Pitt Debating Union at the University of Pittsburgh, was one
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The Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump Love Fest: Undressed by the Unaddressed
As a looooogtime (sic) practitioner of analyzing persuasive communication, let me tell you what to make of the Mamdani-Trump love
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Follow-ups: Critical in Politics and The Case of Katie Porter
California’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter may have lost next year’s gubernatorial race through her resistance to a simple follow-up and her cocky, profane demeanor when she ended an interview by testily objecting to her interviewer’s insistence on asking follow-up questions.
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Meet the Press: Tradition Perdition
Throughout my young adulthood, the news and journalistic analysis show Meet the Press was the model of its kind. The closing self-tribute, “If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press” was iterated without embarrassment.
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Dr. Thomas Szasz and Invalid Theories of Violence in Today’s Violent America
But this piece is not about a particular event; it is about the ubiquity in public discourse of mental illness being the cause of every violent, unusual and/or simply off-putting-to-the-observer action of those who are the subject of official or unofficial actions or thoughts.
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Reasonable Optimism on Iran – Sleep Well
President Trump was frustrated by the military actions of Iran and Israel following his announcement of a ceasefire among Iran,
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