Why Do Members of Congress Use Moral Rhetoric, and How Did It Evolve?

• In Event: Congressional Communication in the Social Media Age

Abstract

The use of moral rhetoric is known to have important political consequences, such as mobilizing voters and facilitating dissemination of messages, and to be more effective when the message is transmitted between co-partisans. However, relatively little is known about when and why politicians choose to use moral rhetoric in their public statements. Using tweets posted by members of the 113-117th Congresses, we show that members tend to use moral rhetoric as an electoral strategy. Specifically, proximity to elections, safe seats, and low voter turnout are important determinants of their rhetorical choices. In addition, we find that there has been a striking upward trend in the use of moral rhetoric by members. We analyze various mechanisms and identify two potential reasons: the intensification of partisan conflict, which has led to incessant campaigning, and the increasing number of electorally safe districts and states, which motivates members to appeal to their co-partisan supporters.

Authors

• Ju Yeon Park, Ohio State University

• Taegyoon Kim, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology