Winning with Words

Today's politicians and political groups devote great attention and care to how their messages are conveyed. From policy debates in Congress to advertising on the campaign trail, they carefully choose which issues to emphasize and how to discuss them in the hope of affecting the opinions and evaluations of their target audience. This groundbreaking text brings together prominent scholars from political science, communication, and psychology in a tightly focused analysis of both the origins and the real-world impact of framing. Across the chapters, the authors discuss a broad range of contemporary issues, from taxes and health care to abortion, the death penalty, and the teaching of evolution. The chapters also illustrate the wide-ranging relevance of framing for many different contexts in American politics, including public opinion, the news media, election campaigns, parties, interest groups, Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary.

Brian F. Schaffner is associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and editor of the journal, Congress & The Presidency. He is also co-author with John Bibby of Parties, Politics, and Elections in America.

Patrick J. Sellers is professor of political science at Davidson College. He is the author of Cycles of Spin: Strategic Communication in the U.S. Congress.