The Moral Equivalent of War: Energy Rhetoric during the Carter Years

Abstract

Many people attribute the failure of Jimmy Carter's forward-looking 1977 national energy plan to opposition from entrenched corporate powers, but the plan's fate also relates to the changing role of rhetoric in the American presidency. From his early fireside chat on energy to the "moral malaise" speech late in his term, Carter seemed unable to reconcile traditional policy tasks with the rising importance of the bully pulpit in shaping public opinion. In this talk, Lee Honeycutt shows how rhetorical lessons from the Carter years provide insight into how the new administration might craft its rhetoric on future energy policy. Includes a response from GT School of Public Policy Professor Marilyn Brown.