Abstract
In 1992, the Republican Party made family values a center point of the presidential campaign claiming the primary importance of the issue for American voters. In 1996, President Clinton used the foundation established by Republicans four years prior to bring family values to the forefront of American politics once again. Using the Family and Medical Leave Act as a symbol of successful family values legislation, Democratic rhetoric surrounding family values during the 1996 Democratic National Convention served three primary rhetorical purposes: to broaden the definition of family, to bring national focus on the children of America, and to define the role of government in relation to the family. In accomplishing these goals, Clinton took family values as a voting issue away from conservative Republicans and increased support for himself and the Democratic Party.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
29
Issue
2
First Page
12
Last Page
24
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Dzuricky, Heather
(1997)
"Redefining Family Values: The Family and Medical Leave Act and the 1996 Campaign,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 29:
No.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol29/iss2/5
Copyright
©1997 Iowa Communication Association
