Carter- Reagan
Carter’s Crisis of Confidence
• inflation, high unemployment, and
soaring energy costs.
• After the 1979 Islamic Revolution,
Iran stopped oil shipments to the
US.
• The "Malaise Speech."
– Carter asks Americans to return to the
attitudes and values that made
America strong and to share the
responsibility of energy conservation.
– Congress rejected
– Carter's approval rating plummeted.
– The president was criticized for
"blaming" the American people and
offering few solutions.
Carter’s “Malaise Speech”
• “In a nation that was proud of hard
work, strong families, close-knit
communities, and our faith in God,
too many of us now tend to
worship self-indulgence and
consumption.”
• “This intolerable dependence on
foreign oil threatens our economic
independence and the very
security of our nation. The energy
crisis is real.”
• “Every act of energy conservation
like this is more than just common
sense -- I tell you it is an act of
patriotism.”
Gas lines during the energy crisis
Iran Hostage Crisis Discredits
Carter
• January 1979, US Backed
Shah deposed by Islamic
fundamentalist Ayatollah
Ruholla Khomeini.
• President Carter allowed the
Shah into the US for cancer
treatment,
• Students stormed the US
embassy in Iran and took 53
hostages.
• Public support for Carter
quickly waned as the months
dragged on with no progress.
Iran Hostage Crisis Discredits
Carter
• secret military rescue operation in
April 1980.
• two helicopters malfunctioned and
another collided with a cargo
plane, killing eight service
members.
• Iranians displayed the burned
corpses before television
cameras.
• The Iran Hostage Crisis became
symbolic of the decline of US
prestige in the world and the
President was criticized for
incompetence.
• After 444 days of captivity, the
hostages were released
immediately after Reagan's
Wreckage of Operation Eagle Claw inauguration in January 1981.
Roe v. Wade Mobilizes
Conservatives
• In Roe v. Wade (1973),
• The issue of legalized abortion
helped galvanize the rise of the
Christian Right in the 1970's and
1980's.
• "traditional family values".
• Roe v. Wade catalyzed the
formation of a number of enduring
political organizations.
• Billy Graham
The Christian Right
• Evangelical Christianity
• By 1978, 40% of Americans
described themselves as "born
again," including President Carter
• The divisive issues pervading
American politics, including
abortion and women's rights,
contributed to the proliferation of
evangelical political organizations.
Televangelism
• Evangelical television
programming enjoyed a rising
level of influence and viewership
throughout the 1970's and 1980's.
• Charismatic "televangelists" like
Jerry Falwell, Jim Bakker, Jimmy
Swaggert, and Pat Robertson
delivered rousing sermons that
resonated with disaffected
evangelicals and translated into
political action.
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker
Political Influence of the Christian
Right
• Groups like the National
Conservative Political Action
Committee and Reverend Jerry
Falwell's Moral Majority
• campaigning and fundraising
techniques such as direct mail.
• The influence and campaign
tactics of Christian Right delivered
a critical proportion of votes to
Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Rev. Jerry
Falwall
Intellectual Foundations of Modern
Conservatism: Goldwater
• Senator Barry Goldwater is widely
regarded as the Father of Modern
American Conservatism.
• Goldwater's libertarian orientation
often put him at odds with the
social and moral agenda of the
Reagan Administration and the
Christian Right by the 1980's.
“The Speech”
• Reagan's televised 1964 "A Time
for Choosing" speech on behalf of
the Goldwater campaign propelled
the actor from corporate
spokesman to conservative
champion.
• It became known simply as "The
Speech."
• Reagan outlined the goals of the
modern conservative movement:
smaller government, lower taxes,
personal autonomy, and more
aggressive policy toward
Communist states.
• He implies that liberal policies
represent a dangerous shift
toward socialism, even drawing
parallels between Lyndon
Johnson and Karl Marx.
Intellectual Foundations of Modern
Conservatism: Kirk
• Russell Kirk was another
influential intellectual of American
conservatism. Reagan awarded
him with Presidential Citizens
Medal in 1989.
• Kirk’s “The Essence of
Conservatism” (1957) :
“The conservative is a person who
endeavors to conserve the best in
our traditions and our institutions,
reconciling that best with
necessary reform from time to
time.”
Election of 1980
• Economics
• Iran Hostage Crisis
• USSR invades Afghanistan
• Incompetence vs. Extremist
• The election came down to a
single televised debate in October
1980. Reagan closed the debate
with the campaign's signature
refrain, "Are you better off now
than you were four years ago?"
Reagan Landslide
• The election ended in a
landslide victory of Ronald
Reagan and the first
Republican majority in the
Senate since 1952.
• Dismal voter turnout suggested
disaffection and apathy toward
the political process as the
1970's came to an end and the
"Reagan Revolution" began.
Election of 1980
The Reagan Revolution Begins
• Reagan= reverse the political
legacy of the New Deal and Great
Society.
• In his first Inaugural Address: "In
this present crisis, government is
not the solution to our problem;
government is the problem."
• low taxes, smaller government,
and strong national defense.
• In addition to delivering a clear,
concise agenda, Reagan
conveyed a sense of optimism
and accessibility that earned him
the title "The Great
Communicator."
Ronald Reagan
Reagan Public Approval Ratings
Reaganomics
• The acendancy of conservatism in
the 1980's can be partially
attributed to the economic
"stagflation" of the Carter years.
• Reagan espoused supply-side
economic theory.
• Supply-siders favored
simultaneous tax cuts and
reductions in spending to
encourage investors and
entrepreneurs.
• Conservative author George
Gilder wrote, "a successful
economy depends on the
proliferation of the rich."
Economic Philosophy
OLD NEW
• Keynesian • Chicago School
Economics • “Supply Side”
• “Demand Side” Economics
Economics • Reaganomics (The
• New Deal Reagan Revolution)
Laffer Curve
Political Interpretation of Laffer Curve
Maximum
Revenue
No revenue
0% Tax Rates 100%
Effect of Reagan on US Political
Culture
US
Left Pre-1981; Right
New Deal Reagan era
and Great
Society
era
Left-right defined as accepted level of government
intervention in the economy:
right = less intervention
left = more intervention
Realignment
New Deal Coalition Reagan Coalition
• Democratic South • Midwest small towns
• African-Americans • Wealthiest Americans
• Union members • Hawks on foreign policy
• Urban North • Blue Collar in North and
• Immigrant/newer ethnic Midwest (union and
groups non-union)
• Farmers • White Southerners
• Evangelicals
• Yuppies
The “Troika”
Counsellor Chief of Staff Dep. Chief
Ed Meese James Baker Michael Deaver
Policy Process Image
Presidential Power and
Persuasion
LBJ Model
Pres Congress People
Presidential Power and
Persuasion
Reagan Model
Pres People Congress
Reagan Media Strategy
• Bully Pulpit
• Stage Events in Controlled Settings
• Feed the Media
• Consistency of Message
• Selling the President
• Popularity is Power
A Dramatic Start to the Reagan
Presidency
• In 1981, Reagan appointed the first female Supreme Court Justice Sandra
Day O'Connor. Although she identified herself as a moderate Republican,
foes of abortion and the ERA condemned her appointment to the bench.
A Dramatic Start to the Reagan
Presidency
• On March 30, 1981, Reagan survived an assassination attempt by John
Hinkley Jr, who shot the president in an effort to impress actress Jodie
Foster. Reagan was more badly injured than the administration reported,
but he remained optimistic and his approval rating reached 73%.
The Ultimate Example
• Berlin 1987
– (from 50 seconds)
Defense Spending Increases
• Despite vowing to dramatically
reduce taxes and government
spending, the Reagan
Administration increased military
spending by over 50% between
1981 and 1988.
• Reagan emphasized the
increasing military capability of the
USSR. He acknowledged the
expense of the military buildup,
but insisted it was vital to national
security.
Star Wars
• In 1983, Strategic Defense
Initiative Star Wars
– space-based missile defense
technology capable of striking down
nuclear weapons before they reached
the United States.
• "Wouldn't it be better to save lives
than to avenge them?”
• A new twist on the arms race, out
spend them until they starve!
Recession and Rebound
• In 1982, the worst recession since the Great Depression occurred.
Recession and Rebound
• A recession occurs when GDP declines for two or more consecutive
quarters.
• During a recession, production levels go down, the stock market is
unhealthy, unemployment rises, and consumer spending declines.
• By the middle of 1983, the economy made its recovery.
The Deficit and the National Debt
• The hike in defense spending, and vastly reduced tax revenues = a
federal budget deficit .
• 1988, the interest = 14% of the annual budget and the US= the
world's biggest debtor.
• Reagan’s goal to balance the budget by 1984 became infeasible.
Iran Contra
• When Congress
tries to restrain
presidential
actions
– Ignore
Congress
– Reinterpret the
law
The Iran Contra Scandal
Private US $
Foreign Gov’t $
Contras
Swiss bank
accounts;
controlled
by North
$$$
Iran Hostages
weapons
US
Israel
weapons