Power and Politics Since 1974 © 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved. Chapter 31.

Power and Politics Since 1974

© 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved.

Chapter 31Chapter 31

Ford’s Caretaker Presidency

• Gerald R. Ford

• Named to Vice Presidency, then Presidency as Nixon’s downfall unfolded

• Appeared weak and indecisive

(c) 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved

Trying to Whip Stagflation

• Naming of Nelson Rockefeller as Vice-President infuriates “New Right”

• Gave Presidential pardon to Nixon• “Whip Inflation Now” (WIN)

– Prices went up and a recession went into effect– Unemployment continued to rise

• Democrats claimed Ford could not implement coherent programs

• Republicans feared he could not stand up to Congress


Foreign Policy

• Ho Chi Minh City

• Khmer Rouge

• Mayaguez


The Election of 1976

• Conservative Republicans and Ronald Reagan• Carter, governor of Georgia• Political reputation as a moderate on social issues

and fiscal conservative• James Earl (Jimmy) Carter (1977-1981)

– Walter Mondale

• Carter narrowly wins with transitory coalition• 1976 elections saw lowest voter turnout since the

end of WWII


Carter’s One-Term Presidency

• Carter was viewed as a Washington “outsider” and lacking a popular mandate

• Powerful constituencies feared Carter would be an unpredictable leader

• Carter lacked the image of a national leader– Georgia mafia


Welfare and Energy Initiatives

• Stalled efforts to reform the welfare system• Energy Issues:

– OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

– James Schlesinger and the Department of Energy• “energy plan”

– Three Mile Island


A Faltering Economy• “Stagflation” of previous administrations• High inflation and unemployment• Unbalanced federal budget• Urban crises• Causes of inflation in the 1970s

– Government policy to stimulate the economy– Oil price increases

• Conservative economists and business groups contended that the price of business had gone up due to regulations

• Deregulation


Negotiating Foreign Disputes

• Human Rights the center of foreign policy

• Panama Canal treaties

• Camp David peace accords (1978)– Menachem Begin– Anwar Sadat

• Formal recognition of the People’s Republic of China (1979)


Campaigning for Human Rights Abroad

• Carter’s emphasis on human rights– Raised worldwide consciousness of human

rights issues – Inconsistently applied

• Ferdinand Marcos

– Nicaragua and the Sandinistas– Iran


Confronting a Hostage Crisis in Iran

• Shah Reza Pahlavi

• Islamic fundamentalist revolution (1979)

• Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981)

• Afghanistan (1979)



• Ronald Reagan– “Misery index”

– Tax cuts

– George Bush

• John Anderson• Middle class position declining, eroding its

support for taxes and social welfare measures• New Right anti-government rhetoric


Reagan’s “New Morning in America”

• “The New Right”

• Attention on taxation issues– Attack of federal domestic spending


Pursuing Supply-Side Economics

• “Supply-side economics”• “Reagan Revolution”• Annual Deficits tripled to ~$300 billion

– U.S. borrowed abroad to finance spending– Largest foreign debt in the world

• “Swiss cheese” economy• Real wages fall• Disparities in wealth increase


Broadening the Conservative Agenda

• Firing of striking air traffic controllers• Sandra Day O’Connor• Staunch conservatives in the cabinet, in the courts• James Watt and the “Sagebrush Revolution”• Comprehensive Employment and Training Act

(CETA)• Poverty increases


Routing the Democrats, 1984

• Walter Mondale (Carter’s vice president)– Geraldine Ferraro

• Republican campaign strength

• Reagan symbolized a remarkable recovery for the GOP


Reagan’s Second Term• Savings and loan institution crisis: casino

capitalism

• Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act (1985)

• Family Support Act (1988)

• Chief Justice Rehnquist and Anton Scalia

• Robert Bork

• Liberal = wasteful social programs

• Conservative = economic growth and traditional values


Renewing the Cold War

• Reagan’s foreign policy theme emphasized building America’s power in the world

• Vietnam a “noble cause”

• Human Rights policy aimed at Soviets

• Reagan claimed that Carter’s era was passive in foreign relations– Soviet Union


The Defense Buildup• New battle against the “evil empire” of the

Soviet Union

• Military build-up

• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)– “Star Wars”

• Caspar Weinberger

• UNESCO

• William Casey


Deploying Military Power

• Jeanne Kirkpatrick

• Lebanon (1982)

• Grenada (1983)

• Nicaragua– contras

• Libya– Muammar al-Qaddafi


The Iran-Contra Affair

• Reagan administration sold arms to Iran to release American hostages

• Profits from arm sales were channeled to Contra forces in Nicaragua

• Oliver North


The Beginning of the End of the Cold War

• Reagan– 1st 6 years revived Cold War confrontation– Last 2 years saw sudden thaw in U.S.-Soviet

relations

• Mikhail Gorbachev– glasnost– perestroika

• Reykjavik Summit (1986)


The First Bush Presidency

• Reagan’s image faded– New Right critical for lack of vigorous support

• Cold War détente helped his heir apparent, George Bush


• George Bush– Prominent Republican family– House of Representatives, CIA Director– Running mate J. Danforth Quayle

• Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis• Negative campaigning

– Willie Horton

• Bush wins close election with low voter turnout• New Right disappointed in Bush

– Civil Rights Act of 1991– Breaking of the anti-tax pledge

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The End of the Cold War

• Poland– Solidarity

• Fall of the Berlin Wall• Boris Yeltsin and the breakup of the Soviet Union• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)• Panama

– Manuel Noriega


The Persian Gulf War

• Saddam Hussein

• Kuwait

• “Desert Shield”

• United Nations and Gulf War coalition

• No-fly zones

• No clear vision for America in post cold war world



• “New right” dominates Republican national convention

• Arkansas governor Bill Clinton– Government spending for job creation and economic

growth– Albert Gore

• Ross Perot– Hurt “insider” Bush more than outsider Clinton


The Presidency of Bill Clinton

• Image of youth and vitality to White House

• MTV broadcast an Inaugural Ball

• Diverse cabinet

• Ruth Bader Ginsberg


Clinton’s First Two Years

• Americorps• Brady Bill• “Three strikes and you’re out” sentencing• Deficit reduction• Right wing talk radio criticism

– Rush Limbaugh

• Hillary Clinton and failed national health care plan• Whitewater

A Republican Congress, A Democratic White House

• Newt Gingrich– “Contract with America”

• Government shutdowns blamed on Gingrich led Congress

• Alan Greenspan• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act (1996)• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)



Income and Poverty in the Late 20th Century

Victory and Impeachment

• Election of 1996– Robert Dole and Jack Kemp– Divided government still: Republican Congress,

Clinton White House

• Paula Corbin Jones• Kenneth Starr• Monica Lewinsky• Republicans lose ground in 1998 election• Impeachment• Continued economic growth• Earned income tax credit


Environmental Policy

• Federal lands off-limits to development expands

• Conservation Reserve Program

• Earth Summit

Post-Cold War Foreign Policy

• Somalia• Haiti• Dayton (Ohio) accords (1995)• Kosovo• Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty• Terrorist attacks

– 1st World Trade Center bombing

– U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania


Globalization

• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

• General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT)

• World Trade Organization (WTO)


The Presidency of George W. Bush

• 2000 closest election in U.S. history

• George W. Bush assumes Reagan’s mantle and vigorously pursues New Right agenda

The Long Election• Al Gore• George W. Bush

– Richard Cheney

• Ralph Nader• Tepid campaign that inspired few passions• Results

– Narrow Republican victory in the House– Senate split 50/50– Gore wins popular vote– Disputed results in Florida give Bush narrow electoral college

victory


A Conservative Domestic Agenda

• Clinton era boom ended

• Corporate accounting scandals

• Tax cut primarily to wealthiest one percent

• “Secret” energy policy

• School vouchers

• James Jeffords

Foreign Policy Changes Course• September 11th attacks

– World Trade Center and Pentagon

• War on Terror– Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda– Afghanistan– Bush Doctrine– Patriot Act

• Tax cuts and budget deficits• Saddam Hussein

– Neocons– Second Iraq War

Conclusion

• Political personalities of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton

• Reagan’s 1980s: new conservative movement

• Bill Clinton’s 1990s: new Democrats


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Power and Politics Since 1974 © 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved. Chapter 31.

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Transcript of Power and Politics Since 1974 © 2003 Wadsworth Group All rights reserved. Chapter 31.