Reagan's safety net for the truly needy: The rhetorical uses of definition

Abstract

Faced with the need to appeal simultaneously for continuity and change, Ronald Reagan dissociated the concept of need, producing the phrase “truly needy.” Successive redefinitions of this term and the phrase “safety net” are examined by the authors, as they trace the persuasive definitions whose connotative dimensions remain constant while their denotative meanings change in successive administration messages.