Examines the performances of Geraldine Ferraro and George Bush in the nationally televised vice-presidential debate in 1984 to determine differences in female and male patterns of communication concerning issues and decision-making. Suggests that rhetorical critics examine whether a masculine ethic has framed their analyses. (KEH)

Proposes that different versions of moral decision making emerged in the narrative patterns of Ferraro and members of the Catholic church during the 1984 Presidential Campaign. Discusses these visions of morality using Kenneth Burke's terms and examines them as illustrative of differences in feminine and masculine constructions of reality. (JD)

The discord between the Catholic Church and its followers in the United States crystallized with the candidacy of Geraldine Ferraro for vice president in 1984, when she became the target of attacks by members of the church hierarchy. Ferraro questioned why she was singled out on the abortion issue, and indeed, at times she seemed to be running…