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oai:null:10339/392882026-09-18T12:55:01Zcom_10339_14934col_10339_38132

Moczulski, Leah Amelia 2014-07-10T08:35:35Z 2014-07-10T08:35:35Z 2014 https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/39288 This thesis focuses on examining the statements that Rush Limbaugh's made regarding Sandra Fluke following her Congressional testimony on the Conscience Clause in February of 2012. In particular, I investigate the way that Rush Limbaugh's statements, and their subsequent circulation, made him a leader within the pro-life movement. Particularly, I problematize what I call the "polyvocal leadership problem" that occurs in social movements that lack a centralized leadership. I apply Kenneth Burke's work on identification and vilification in order to examine the ways that Limbaugh ruptures the "pro-woman" frame forwarded by other members of the pro-life movement. I begin by discussing the "polyvocal leadership problem" as it relates to social movements in the digital age. I next examine the way that Limbaugh's deployment of vilification rhetoric demonstrates the problem of polyvocality in social movements. I conclude with a discussion about the relevance of political punditry in public policy. en Wake Forest University Fluke Leadership Limbaugh Pro-Life Social Movements Vilification Exploring the Polyvocal Leadership Problem in the Pro-Life Movement: The Case of Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke Thesis Beasley-Von Burg, Alessandra Dalton, Mary Zulick, Margret Communication open.access