Contesting presidential masculinity: “fatherhood” as a rhetorical strategy in the 2012 general election debates

Abstract Political debate research has investigated gender in the contexts of mix-gendered debates and women’s political campaigns, but how does gender factor in political debates between men? To address this question, I analyze the three 2012 U.S. General Election debates between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney. I find that Obama and Romney described crises for the American family that they sought to resolve by enacting presidential masculinity designed to protect the national family: either as a nurturing father who works with families (Obama) or as a strong father who works on behalf of families (Romney). Both strategies involved enabling families to be more effective social and economic units with appropriate help from the state. Examining these strategies illustrates how debates rhetorically stabilize broader discourses of gender relations and frame the need for and possibility of social justice activism.