Rude Democracy: Civility and Incivility in American Politics

Acknowledgements; 1: The Powerful -- if Elusive -- Nature Of Civility; 2: Sarah Palin and Her Publics; 3: Obama, Difference and Civility; 4: Our Future Leaders: College Students And Political Argument; 5: Conclusion Appendix I: President Barack Obama's 2009 Notre Dame Commencement Address; Appendix II: Survey on Student Speech and Discussion; Notes; Bibliography

"Herbst's endeavor to develop a theoretical foundation for civil discourse in the Internet age, where means of communication are in near constant flux, is commendable and largely successful. Herbst's contention that incivility and civility should be viewed as strategic assets is potentially game changing and a contribution that all future scholarly work on incivility cannot ignore." Journal of Politics , April 2012 "Herbst's volume is one of those rare works that should spur rethinking of crucial democratic concepts, civility, and partisanship, while displaying a model of such work through the grounded and insightful studies of Palin and Obama. The work also moves beyond the horizons of criticism to measure the tasks ahead in developing a culture of argument that welcomes a generation born of America at war and in the midst of the Great Recession. Civility and incivility constitute the strategic assets and costs of public deliberation." The International Journal of Communication "[Herbst] believes that bad manners in the public square are not all bad. Herbst discourages our urge to bemoan the boorishness of American political culture... At the same time, she laments Americans' incapacity for listening carefully to their opponents and urges readers, especially bloggers and other drivers of the new media, to explore a more productive 'culture of argument.'... The book sheds light on the present political moment... [Herbst's] critique of Sarah Palin is generous, and interesting ... In her conclusion...she offers some concrete suggestions." - The New Republic "[T]he most interesting chapter analyzes a survey of college students' views on political discussion and civility... Discussions go well beyond civility into issues such as the quality of arguments and reasons for the complex reactions to [Sarah] Palin... Summing Up: Recommended." - Choice "Herbst has written a valuable, fair-minded book. It is a contribution to the literature of history, ethics, and public