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Can Apocalyptic Rhetoric Lead To Wars, Economic Problems?

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Thursday, January 25, 2018 - 3:50pm
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(Photo via amazon.com)
"Political Realism in Apocalyptic Times" by Alison McQueen

Language intended to stoke passion or even fear in some cases is a consistent part of America’s political history.

From the nation’s founding to the Civil War to last November’s election, candidates have embraced what could be called apocalyptic rhetoric.

Can those kinds of words actually lead to wars and economic problems, for example?

Stanford political scientist Alison McQueen has written about that in her new book, "Political Realism in Apocalyptic Times." And she is with me.

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