Triumph in Defeat: The Genre of Third Party Presidential Concessions

摘要

argue through analysis of the genre of concession speeches that third party presidentialrncandidates have rhetorical norms of their own that address their unique challenges asrnpolitical outsiders. I contend that their concessions are a variant of the concession genrernwarranted by the recurring situational barriers and overall purposes for minor partyrnpresidential campaigns. In developing this argument, I describe the function and formrnof traditional concessions, offer an alternative theory based on the analysis of over 30rnsuch statements by various third party nominees from 1948 to 2008, and then providernthree case studies demonstrating the genre.