Little monsters, wild animals, and welfare queens: Ronald Reagan and the legal constitution of American politics

Abstract

Scholars increasingly recognize the centrality of legal ideas and language to the political vision that inspires American conservatism. However, relevant studies have been limited to the discursive practices that motivate conservative activism at the grass-root level. Exploration of the legal discourses employed by prominent public officials thus carries significant scholarly potential. For example, this chapter's investigation of President Ronald Reagan reveals that his political vision was suffused with legal discourse. Reagan's legal discourse, moreover, has exerted constitutive effects both on American conservatism and on the form and substance of a great deal of contemporary American public policy.

Citation

Dudas, J.R. (2009), "Little monsters, wild animals, and welfare queens: Ronald Reagan and the legal constitution of American politics", Sarat, A. (Ed.) Studies in Law, Politics and Society (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 49), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 157-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1059-4337(2009)0000049009