In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush and his administration offered a 'political fundamentalism' that capitalized upon the fear felt by many Americans. Political fundamentalism is the adaptation of a conservative religious worldview, via strategic language choices and communication approaches, into a policy agenda that feels political rather than religious. These communications dominated public discourse and public opinion for months on end and came at a significant cost for democracy.In particular, the administration closed off a substantive societal – and international – conversation about the meaning of the terrorist attacks and the direction of the nation by consistently:• showing antipathy toward complex conceptions of reality;• framing calls for immediate action on administration policies as part of the nation’s 'calling' and 'mission' against terrorism;• issuing declarations about the will of God for America and the values of freedom and liberty; • and demonstrating an intolerance for dissent. The administration had help spreading its messages. The mainstream press consistently echoed the administration’s communications – thereby disseminating, reinforcing and embedding the administration’s fundamentalist worldview and helping to keep at bay Congress and any substantive public questioning. This book analyzes hundreds of administration communications and news stories from September 2001 to Iraq in spring 2003 to examine how this occurred and what it means for U.S. politics and the global landscape.
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This study, a model of interdisciplinary scholarship, creatively illuminates the theoretical and normative issues arising from the post-9/11 presidency of George W. Bush, with its unprecedented deployment of religious rhetoric and commitment to a "political fundamentalism" that challenges longstanding norms of American politics. Not merely a work of great analytical insight, it is a book of moral precision, even courage. David Domke's research merits careful attention from scholars, students, and all patriotic Americans (very much including journalists) who care about the fate of our democracy. -- Robert M. Entman, Author, Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy David Domke's God Willing? is an original and timely examination of contemporary U.S. politics and the role of the media in permitting grave assaults on democratic practices and values. Domke brilliantly dissects the rhetoric and reality of what he terms "political fundamentalism," and opens up fruitful new ways to understand the current political environment. I give this book an unconditional endorsement. -- Robert W. McChesney, Professor, Institute of Communication Research University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Author, The Problem of the Media
About the Author
David Domke is Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Washington. His research examines how political leaders and news media shape public discourse, policy, and opinion within the U.S. political system. Domke is a former journalist and received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1996.
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39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bush's political fundamentalism undermines democracy,
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This review is from: God Willing: Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the ' (Paperback)
After September 11, 2001, I knew I was frustrated with the Bush administration's use of civil religion to promote its political goals, but I had a hard time articulating my uneasiness. I owe David Domke a debt of gratitude. His book helped me understand what I have been feeling and thinking. Domke uses the phrase "political fundamentalism" to describe the way the Bush administration's uses civil religion.
Political fundamentalism, according to Domke, has four major characteristics: ·A black and white world view that has no patience with complexities ·A sense of urgency that drives towards immediate and enduring action ·Identification of the Christian faith with the values of freedom and liberty ·Intolerance of dissent For each of these four aspects, Domke presents excerpts from speeches by President Bush between September 11, 2001 and May, 2003, when Bush declared "mission accomplished" in Iraq. Domke analyzes the vocabulary and concepts in Bush's speeches that manifest this approach used so effectively by Bush's administration. Domke notes the way those same words and concepts appear in editorials and TV commentary within a few days of each speech. The net effect, according to Domke, of the Bush administration's political fundamentalism, and the echoing of those views in the press, is a compromise of the very principles that make democracy work: discussion of various points of view and the willingness to take the time to reach some level of consensus. In fact, Domke argues that our administration is doing the very same kinds of things that the violent Islamic fundamentalists are doing: using religion to justify self-interest. Everyone who feels uneasy about the Bush Administration's use of religious images, as well as those who have concerns about the way the press helped Bush advance his agenda, should read this book.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Nation At Perill,
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This review is from: God Willing: Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the ' (Paperback)
Over my lifetime, I have come to have a healthy respect for the American free press. Recently, however, I have found myself questioning what I read in the papers and hear coming from other media. Thanks to David Domke and this book, I now understand that my increasing concerns about the American media were well founded. Domke presents clear evidence that George Bush and his staff developed a calculated policy designed to stop all opposition to a Bush/Republican plan dealing with a post 9/11 world and to shut down any healthy exchange of diverse ideas. Based on the research, these actions by the Bush administration have led to an interconnection of religious fundamentalism and political policy that is little different from that of the Taliban or al Qaida - with the obvious inserting of Bush as the person who professes to be carrying out God's will. Domke also presents evidence that these actions by Bush were echoed by the mainstream media so substantially that a policy has been established that essentially says, "you are either with the president or you are against democracy and for the terrorists." Further, there is the suggestion that to challenge the president is to put the nation at great peril. Domke has courage in presenting these research findings. The actions of the Bush administration and the news media were directly counter to fundamental American democratic ideals and principles, and Domke's work makes that clear.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read for any who love democracy,
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This review is from: God Willing: Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the ' (Paperback)
I have followed David Domke's research for more than five years and have appreciated his thorough documentation and analsyis of a phenomenen that is largely ignored by the mainstream media and unknown to the American public. The phenomenen of political fundamentalism, so carefully covered in his new book, "God Willing," is a must-read for anyone who cherishes American democracy.
Domke's book is the product of meticulous analysis of hundreds of Bush administration speeches, news reports and public opinion polls between the September 11 terrorist attacks and the end of major combat in Iraq. The research clearly shows that Bush strategically cloaked his religiously conservative worldview in nationalistic language and ideas that were reflected consistently by the media and the general public. This religious-cum-political worldview, in turn, framed public discourse in ways that seriously threaten freedoms that are at the heart of a democracy. Complex issues were reduced to simplistic binaries ("You are either with us or you are with the terrorists."). Criticism of the administration's policies was labeled un-American. The War on Terror and invastion of Iraq were justified as America's calling such that dissent was seen as defying God's will. All Americans, regardless of their political leanings, must agree that such rhetoric, when echoed by the press, limits the free and open discourse that is fundamental to democratic governance. Domke deserves great credit for stepping forward to call on the news media and the public to demand more wide-ranging dialogue, including dissent, on the important issues facing our country. In my book, he's a true patriot.
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