La franquesa i la transparència en la retòrica presidencialals Estats Units

Abstract

In contrast to Strauss’ esoteric art of writing (which provides the philosopher with a kind of language that will be understood only by those who will not persecute him), Antonio Lastra proposes a constitutional art of writing, based on the frankness and the transparency inspired by the founding texts of the United States, in particular, the Constitution. That rhetoric of frankness is present in presidential addresses, but behind that transparency lies the desire to reinforce the citizens’ identification with institutions and, especially, to convince the public about the rightness of any decision that the government has made frankly and openly and which has been scrutinized by the media. In a society which enjoys freedom of speech, we can make the mistake of punishing lies more than evil, or of justifying the worst errors if made openly and in the glare of the mass media.