Table Of ContentRHETORIC, POLITICS AND SOCIETY
GENERAL EDITORS: A. Finlayson; J. Martin; K. Phillips
PRESIDENTIAL HEALTHCARE
REFORM RHETORIC
Continuity, Change & Contested Values from Truman to Obama
Noam Schimmel
Rhetoric, Politics and Society
Series Editors
Alan Finlayson
University of East Anglia, UK
James Martin
Goldsmiths, U niversity of London, UK
Kendall Phillips
University of Syracuse, USA
Aim of the Series
Rhetoric lies at the intersection of a variety of disciplinary approaches
and methods, drawing upon the study of language, history, culture and
philosophy to understand the persuasive aspects of communication in all
its modes: spoken, written, argued, depicted and performed. This series
presents the best international research in rhetoric that develops and
exemplifi es the multifaceted and cross-disciplinary exploration of practices
of persuasion and communication. It seeks to publish texts that openly
explore and expand rhetorical knowledge and enquiry, be it in the form
of historical scholarship, theoretical analysis or contemporary cultural
and political critique. The editors welcome proposals for monographs
that explore contemporary rhetorical forms, rhetorical theories and
thinkers, and rhetorical themes inside and across disciplinary boundaries.
For informal enquiries, questions, as well as submitting proposals, please
contact the editors: Alan Finlayson: a .fi [email protected] James Martin:
j [email protected] Kendall Phillips: k [email protected]
More information about this series at
h ttp://www.springer.com/series/14497
Noam Schimmel
Presidential
Healthcare Reform
Rhetoric
Continuity, Change & Contested Values from
Truman to Obama
Noam Schimmel
Kellogg College
University of Oxford
UK
Rhetoric, Politics and Society
ISBN 978-3-319-32959-8 ISBN 978-3-319-32960-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32960-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016948748
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P
RAISE FOR THIS BOOK
‘Contrasting the broader, more organic conception of the state as articulated
by Presidents Truman and Johnson, with a more limited version espoused
by Presidents Clinton and Obama, Schimmel uses health reform as an able
foil to get at deeper skirmishes in a divided society. We would all do well to
listen as carefully to our elected leaders as Dr. Schimmel does.’
—Professor Jonathan Engel, CUNY, USA
‘Noam Schimmel shows how the way we talk about American social policy
has changed dramatically over the last 70 years -- from talk of rights and
moral obligation to talk of effi ciency and individual responsibility. Through
the prism of health care policy, we see vividly how profoundly the
conservatism of the 1970s and 1980s has affected Americans’ view of
themselves and their society.’
—Professor Emeritus David Zarefsky, Northwestern University, USA
‘Noam Schimmel has written a genuinely innovative book on the history
of American disputes over what used to be known as national health
insurance. Combining the scholarship of rhetoric with political portraiture
of the moral and practical presumptions of reformers and their critics,
Schimmel has informed our understanding by exposing the assumptions
of Presidents from Truman to Obama.’
—Professor Emeritus Theodore Marmor, Yale University, USA
v
vi PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK
‘Noam Schimmel’s cogently argued and elegantly written monograph casts
important light on the rhetorical strategies liberal Democratic presidents
have employed to justify healthcare reform against conservative critiques of
big government. A must read book for students of the presidency and an
important contribution to political science.’
—Professor Iwan Morgan, University College London, UK
‘This is a milestone in rhetoric analysis and healthcare policy studies. It is the
fi rst of its kind to examine historical change in presidential discourse on
healthcare. It is also the fi rst to trace down and map out how historical
change in healthcare discourse is associated with broader change in American
political culture, moral norms, and social imaginaries. And it does so in a
rhetorical style that is itself eloquent, precise, and persuasive. A must-read.’
—Professor Lilie Chouliaraki, London School of Economics, UK
To the Teachers of Newton North High School and the Newton Public
Schools with Love and Gratitude for an Extraordinary Education
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Kellogg College, at Oxford University, has been an ideal research environ-
ment for developing and revising this manuscript and undertaking further
research. I am grateful for the Visiting Fellowship Kellogg College has
provided me during the 2015–2017 academic years, and for the care and
friendly and receptive way in which they have welcomed me to Oxford and
to life in college, and the opportunity they have given me to participate in
the incredibly diverse and energizing seminars, lectures, and cultural pro-
grams on offer at Oxford. It is a great pleasure to be a part of the Kellogg
community. Thank you to Professor Nazila Ghanea, of Kellogg College
and Oxford’s Masters in International Human Rights Law program,
for helping make this visiting fellowship possible with her characteristic
kindness, warmth, and goodness. Thank you also to Professor Andrew
Shacknove, co-director of Oxford’s Masters in International Human
Rights Law with Nazila, whose teaching, leadership, and conversations
have taught me so much and have given form and direction to my human
rights research, and whose gentle smile, wisdom, and humane and humble
manner make him the best ambassador Oxford could have. I am honored
to be your student and grateful for your sensitivity toward the needs and
perspectives of students and your receptiveness to us.
The Masters program was a superlative experience in so many ways—
educational, social, and experiential—and the beauty and magic of Oxford
permeated it throughout. The program enriched my understanding of
human rights enormously and was a great pleasure that will continue to
infl uence my research, writing, and teaching. My cohort was extraor-
dinarily inspiring in their commitment to human rights, as well as their
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