Sign in

John Murphy

@cubsmurphy.bsky.social
345 followers 253 following 68 posts

Cubs fan, Rhetoric Man

PostsRepliesMedia
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I like Carter, but as someone who's studied a lot of speeches, it's not a great speech. The moral crisis in the first half gets "resolved" in the second by a policy laundry list--the parts don't fit. Honesty is excellent but it's not enough
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Oh, Terrell on Malcolm and Obama
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Brooks on Fannie Lou Hamer, Browne on Angelina Grimke and also Edmund Burke come immediately to mind.
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
In which I join the growing debate initiated by @juliaazari.bsky.social and others about whether Congress should try once again to impeach Donald Trump. oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/impeachmen...
oratoricalanimal.substack.com
Impeachment Again?
I knock on wood as I write this but it seems likely the Democrats will gain control of the House of Representatives this November and may take the Senate, too.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Some thoughts on Trump's failure to justify this war and the continuing relevance of traditional presidential rhetoric. oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/presidenti...
oratoricalanimal.substack.com
Presidential War Rhetoric Or
Why the traditional presidential genres still matter
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Farmers should love it
110
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
This always makes me miss Jim
100
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
It plays a surprisingly large role in the recent new bio of Charles Sumner. He did a big long speech about it on the Senate floor and thought it justified the civil rights act. I’ve become curious about it as a result of that.
120
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I wrote about Mark Carney's excellent speech last week. It's a great example of a speaker trying to create a new language for a new world and I talk about how he does so. oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/prime-mini...
oratoricalanimal.substack.com
Prime Minister Mark Carney's Rhetorical Rupture
Status and Disclosure in Public Deliberation
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
And the two prospects will turn into All Stars, they'll turn a young guy into a superhero to replace him, and still win the division. Devil magic Brewers. Says disgruntled Cubs fan.
001
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
A quick and dirty critique of @governorwalz.mn.gov speech yesterday. Spoiler alert: He uses language to make order of disorder. substack.com/inbox/post/1...
substack.com
Governor Tim Walz speaks to Minnesota
Accumulation, Metaphor, Structure, and Agency make order of chaos
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Great pieve
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
This guy. Yes.
110
Reposted by John Murphy
Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 08/01/2026
If you can stomach it, this is an excellent analysis of video available of the murder of Renee Good. It is "at odds" with the Trump version! Extremely "at odds," you might say, "disproves" or "undermines," or "shows they are lying." www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
nytimes.com
Video: Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
An analysis of footage from three camera angles show that the vehicle appears to be turning away from a federal officer as he opened fire.
212345
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
It’s a classic. One of the best histories I’ve ever read.
110
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Look at you, posting about sportsing
100
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
So happy to hear this!
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Congratulations Dr. Turner!
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
My best birthday present ever happened on a Wednesday in Cleveland m.youtube.com/watch?v=HOp8...
m.youtube.com
Cubs win World Series with Game 7 win
YouTube video by MLB
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
More critiques of Trump's rhetoric! I'm looking at his UN speech and, in particular, his public diplomacy toward India. substack.com/inbox/post/1...
substack.com
Donald Trump Insults the World
Recognition, Rhetoric, and India
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Awwwww
100
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
"Appeasement" feels like it's in the air tonight, as it were, and so I thought a brief rhetorical history of appeasement, bullies, Hitler, Trump, and more might be useful. substack.com/inbox/post/1...
substack.com
Munich on the Charles and the Potomac, and the Eagle...
A brief rhetorical history and appreciation of appeasement
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
In which I think about Trump, Nixon, and his little dog Checkers, or How did we get to Resentment Politics? substack.com/inbox/post/1...
substack.com
Nixon, Checkers, and Trump
The Renewal of the Republican Party, 1952
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Fascism is one way to explain Trump but he’s also embraced the Republican, authoritarian agenda that stretches back to Jim Crow. open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
open.substack.com
The Mississippi Model
Or the rhetorical trouble with "fascism."
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Some thoughts on the debate about the Texas flood open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
open.substack.com
Who's to Blame for the Death Toll in Texas?
The problems and powers of causal arguments
020
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Some thoughts on Daaaa new pope’s early public speeches. I’m encouraged: open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
open.substack.com
DAAAAA Pope's Rhetorical Style
Preliminary thoughts
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
This week, I critique the argument fallacies filling the Tapper and Thompson book attacking Joe Biden. Spoiler alert: Hasty generalization is bad. open.substack.com/pub/oratoric...
open.substack.com
Joe Biden, Harvard University, and the Hasty Generalization
First of all, my apologies to all of you for the time between posts.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
I had no idea that Joe's Biden's retirement package include a condo in Trump's head. Livin' large and rent-free forever, it appears.
020
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Surrendering on tariffs is a nice way to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Appomattox. Trump's side lost there, too.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Cory Booker's a little tired now because he spent 25 hours speaking on the Senate floor and the 25 hours after that sending me emails.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
I wrote a bit about Cory Booker. With some historical 1957 trivia as well. oratoricalanimal.substack.com/p/quick-thou...
oratoricalanimal.substack.com
Quick Thoughts on Cory Booker's record
It’s seldom that professional rhetorical critics can enjoy extensive media coverage of a speaking record.
011
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
On each, Ds are on defense and their approval has dropped to 29% after last week's fiasco. It's difficult to prove a negative, but it's hard to imagine that a fighting Democratic Party standing against cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and unconstitutional firings would have fared worse than this.
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
If you want to measure Chuck Schumer's failure, it's in the disappearance of the budget. Rather than banner headlines about Trump/Musk's attacks on beloved programs, the headlines concern Russian progress in Ukraine, Trump's economic rhetoric, and the deportation of alleged terrorists.
110
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
A rhetorical analysis of #Illini AD Josh Whitman’s congressional testimony substack.com/inbox/post/1...
substack.com
Mr. Whitman Goes To Washington
Illini AD Josh Whitman's Congressional Testimony
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
No need for any more cloture. They’ll stuff every possible horrible thing into a reconciliation and that’s it. The Democratic leader cleared the way. This was the only place to stop them.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Schumer and his sniveling colleagues have made it possible for Musk and Trump to claim the firings, the unconstitutional destruction of agencies, etc. is bipartisan. That is the rhetoric they will use. And Schumer, Durbin, etc have undercut any response. Idiots.
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Vichy is a good word for them. If Durbin isn’t quitting, I hope Pritzker is lining up a primary opponent as we speak
120
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Nobody at Durbin’s offices are answering the phone. I emailed. Pritzker has issued a statement and I very much hope our Gov puts the screws to Durbin. If he’s a yes, he can’t be considering running again. It’ll destroy him.
110
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Time for @amyklobuchar.com to challenge Schumer for Minority Leader
020
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
William Barr used almost exactly the same words to talk about voter fraud in mail ballots before the 2020 election.
021
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
That's a Paul Wellstone line. And, yes, I miss Paul Wellstone all of the time. It was a terrible thing to lose him.
010
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Some thoughts on Trump, the state of the union, presidential genres, and democracy. They are not happy thoughts. #teamrhetoric substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Donald Trump's Personalized Presidential Persuasion
I’m still working through my thoughts on President Trump’s State of the Union, so please bear with me.
010
Reposted by John Murphy
🎃Darin S Pumpkins🎃 @darinself.com · 03/03/2025
Tracking the performance of the S&P 500 through 100 days of an administration because I don't want to grade.
11253991874
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
They issued a statement. Dictators everywhere tremble in their bunkers. Because. A statement.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) gave a great State of the State address that received wide applause and boosted his presidential prospects. Here, I try to explain why, beyond his provocative denunciation of home-grown Nazis. substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Governor JB Pritzker's State of the Union, er, State
Spoiler alert: We're good in Illinois but you people in DC....
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
So, Musk, who's srsly not in charge of anything, so don't ask him for financial records, has demanded federal employees report to him. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. I hope some CIA operative responds with the classic movie line, "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
052
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
A better Patrick Wisdom. Much as I loved Wisdom as a Cub and person.
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
In which I try to show just how JD Vance’s speech in Europe gaslights the world. substack.com/inbox/post/1...
substack.com
Inbox | Substack
000
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
That was a huge price to pay for one year of Tucker and a first rd playoff exit. Of course, the latter is their yearly goal now
110
John Murphy @cubsmurphy.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
The @nytimes.com seems finally to have figured out that this Donald Trump fellow just might be bad for the country. How COULD we have known? It’s a mystery.
media.tenor.com
a man in a bathtub with the words welcome to the party pal on the bottom
ALT: a man in a bathtub with the words welcome to the party pal on the bottom
151