“Nobody predicted this”: How Donald Trump’s narrative persuaded Middle America
Read moreOur last post closed with a cursory discussion of Donald Trump’s use of personal narrative during his successful campaign for the presidency of the United States. While I stated that I consider his discourse a relatively superficial effort at leading by autobiography, we are now seeing evidence that his stories of identity had a significant influence with some key elements
Even a superficial personal narrative can be compelling: Part Two
Read moreContinuing on our theme from last time, it should be clear to anyone reading this that I have lamented the dearth of personal storytelling in the last US presidential election. As I have long been convinced that stories of identity are a leader’s most persuasive form of self-expression, I was surprised to see it employed so infrequently. Though I have
Even a superficial personal narrative can be compelling: Part One
Read moreIn the past weeks and months, I have put forth on several occasions my opinion that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump had used personal stories of identity particularly well. By this assertion, I mean their discourse was far from the standard I would set when I speak of truly “leading by autobiography”. One of the concepts at the center
In search of the power behind Trump’s superficial narrative: Part Two
Read moreAs I wrote in the previous post, for the past few weeks I have been following a series of CNN’s journeys into the American heartland, visits where newspeople interview voters who had unexpectedly supported Donald Trump in the last election. The reporters are seeking to figure out why so many people in traditional democratic strongholds, and from families who had always voted
In search of the power behind Trump’s superficial narrative: Part One
Read moreThis week, I continue my examination of the effectiveness of Donald Trump’s personal narrative. At first, my plan was to do a post pointing out some of the instances where Hillary Clinton might have used her own stories and life experience to great advantage. Recently, though, I have seen a bit of television reporting that gave me further insight into how
Why Trump’s use of personal narrative served its purpose
Read moreA few days ago, I went to a small ski area a few kilometers from my house. Thirty centimeters (about 12 inches) of heavy snow had fallen in the morning. The water content of the snow was extremely high, but it turned out to be very skiable. A nasty rain at lower altitudes meant that the crowds had stayed away,