lWayne Fields is a nationally known expert on American literature, non-fiction prose, rhetoric and American political argument. His book, “Union of Words: A History of Presidential Eloquence” (1996) examines the use of rhetoric in presidential speeches, from declarations of candidacy to nomination acceptances, inaugural addresses, state-of-the-union speeches, declarations of war, executive farewells and other special addresses. His opinions are frequently sought by the national media to help interpret political speeches.
For more information or to contact Wayne Fields, visit his faculty expert page.
Fields has recently been quoted in issues concerning the debate:
Bush attacks Kerry on national defense, taxes
Thursday, October 6, 2004 – Chicago Tribune
Wayne Fields, director of American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, suggests that Bush has sharpened his rhetorical skills since the emotional days following the terrorist assaults of Sept. 11, 2001. Yet, while Bush has become a proficient speechmaker, Fields says, debating remains a challenge for him.
“There seems to be a real skill there when there is a comfort zone, when he is sure that the people around him are on his side,” Fields said Wednesday. “And there is more difficulty dealing with hostility, or even disagreement … This is a person who is driven by his heart, but that will get you into in situations where, if your head doesn’t take over, you’re in trouble.”
Some Hard Punches, But No Knockout Blows
Wednesday, October 6, 2004 – Boston Globe
Fields said Vice President Dick Cheney “Controlled the pacing of the debate.”
Political observers say both candidates performed well
Friday, October. 1, 2004 – Boston Globe
“It was less agonizing than I expected,” said Wayne Fields, director of the American Culture Studies Program at Washington University in St Louis. “There weren’t any surprises. Neither one of them made any terrible stumbles, so what we were left with was the fundamental contrast before us this year, between a president who believes that certain things, like 9/11, happen, and those things give you a vision that you pursue unwaveringly. And you’ve got Kerry’s notion that you learn and grow as you move ahead, and you adapt and respond.”
Kerry: Bush ‘a clever debater’
Thursday, September 30, 2004 – Tallahassee Democrat
Wayne Fields, director of American culture studies at Washington University in St. Louis, said Bush needs to be more detailed about his policies and goals in Iraq.
“Where are we going to get the troops to go there, and what’s the cost?”
Kerry Stays Clear of the ‘L’ Word
Friday, September 24, 2004 – The Associated Press via CBS New York
“The idea of lying is that you know and you told something different than what you knew the truth to be. He’s got to be careful that he doesn’t accuse them of a lie when it’s only an incomplete telling of the truth. They will nail him.”
Kerry Not Connecting With Voters
Friday, September 24, 2004 – McClatchey Newspapers
Wayne Fields, director of Culture Studies at Washington University in St Louis, said he was not surprised by the wariness of Missourians toward Kerry and would be surprised if the Democrat won the state.
“The GOP has been effective at putting Kerry off his stride. Bush has successfully projected the idea of how well he is known and he has defined himself through 9/11.”
Debate Negotians Have Precedent
Monday, September 13, 2004 – Student Life
Candidates and their advisers have great control over the nature of the debates, creating a “political environment in which the candidates can say up to a point what they won’t and what they won’t do.”
“There’s no way of really requiring [presidential debates]. What happens is, it becomes whatever the handlers of the campaigns are comfortable with.”
With the negotiators in the driver’s seat, debate planning has become a science, with candidates more worried about sound bytes than meaningful policy discussion.
“Our interest, the citizens’ interest, is in seeing some kind of exposure where candidates have to speak their minds. Handlers are the best at controlling the extent to which that has to happen, protecting [the candidates] from anything that might put them at risk.”
9/11 anxieties persist amid presidential race
Sunday, September. 12, 2004 – Kansas City Star
Swing voters will look to intangibles in their need to feel safe, one political expert says.
“When you personally feel insecure,” says Wayne Fields of the American Culture Studies program at Washington University, “you might think: I’ll only feel safe (electing) people as much like myself as possible.
“That’s Kerry’s biggest problem and Bush’s biggest advantage.”
Bush Speech Offers Simplicity and Moral Certainty
Friday, September. 3, 2004 – Reuters
There were few moments of true eloquence in Bush’s speech, few lines that will linger in the memory, which was perhaps intentional.
“It was not memorable for the oratory but was effective in drawing on the ongoing emotional power of 9/11,” said Wayne Fields, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who analyzes political speeches.
“Bush has clearly decided to make the much more nuanced, more complex views of the world held by his opponents into a liability and his own directness and simplicity a virtue,” Fields said.