Partisan Rhetoric and Polarization

Partisan Rhetoric and Polarization: The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research, Volume 10 features chapters written from a variety of perspectives that address divisions in American politics. The topics range widely, including TikTok, abortion, the middle class, the January 6 riot, and partisan rhetoric in Congress. The unifying theme of the volume is that each author uses C-SPAN videos to examine how members of Congress and other elites speak and act on these issues. Two other thoughtful pieces examine Supreme Court justices speaking off the bench and emotional reactions in presidential debates. Partisan Rhetoric and Polarization provides context to understand how the partisan split in American politics is reflected and evidenced in even the highest political institutions: Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court.

Robert X. Browning is a professor of political science and communication at Purdue University. He is the founder and executive director of the C-SPAN Archives, which received a George Foster Peabody Award in 2010 for its online Video Library of 278,000 hours of C-SPAN content. He is the author of Politics and Social Welfare Policy in the United States and articles on redistricting. He is the editor of the series The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research, published annually by Purdue University Press.