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The Watergate Scandal. The Rise of Cynicism. The Nixon Years. Richard Nixon’s Political Career Anticommunist in 1950’s VP to Eisenhower Lost to JFK in 1960 Elected President in 1968. The Many Faces of Nixon. Part One, The Harmonizer Nixon Appeals to the “Silent Majorityâ€
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The Watergate Scandal The Rise of Cynicism
The Nixon Years • Richard Nixon’s Political Career • Anticommunist in 1950’s • VP to Eisenhower • Lost to JFK in 1960 • Elected President in 1968
The Many Faces of Nixon • Part One, The Harmonizer • Nixon Appeals to the “Silent Majority” • Fear of rising crime rates • Fear of social violence • Fear of widespread drug abuse • Concerns about sexual permissiveness • Concerns about disdain for patriotism • Fear of racial tensions • Desire for law and order
Nixonas “Harmonizer” • Election of 1968 • Nixon Defeats Herbert Humphrey • Nixon Defeats George Wallace
Context for 1968 • Turmoil of the year: Tet, MLK, RFK • Growing anti-war protests • Convergence of Vietnam w/ Civil Rights Movement • MLK: “The bombs in Vietnam explode at home” • Anti-war violence dovetails w/ racial violence • “White backlash”
Election of 1968 • Nixon and Republicans win • See how to build new winning coalition • Wallace’s success lead’s to new electoral strategy
The Republican “Southern Strategy” • Appeal to the fears of blue collar workers • Appeal to Southern and suburban whites • Demonstrate opposition to the forced integration of schools • Moratorium on busing to achieve integration • Exploit social issues that mattered to Roman Catholic voters • Aid to parochial schools • Strong anti-abortion stance • Opposition to pornography and obscenity
Election of 1972 • Why Such a Landslide? • Press was tougher on Dems than Reps (curious but true) • Democratic convention rules guaranteed a liberal candidate: 1968 indicated a new conservative surge • Democrats had to drop the VP candidate, Thomas Eagleton (mental health record) • Democrats supported immediate end to Vietnam; Nixon’s “Peace with Honor” sounded better
The Watergate Scandal • What was Watergate?
The Watergate Scandal • Why did Nixon Do It? • Desire for a “legacy”: assure victory in 1972 and undermine critics • Paranoia • Fears of radical forces on the left • Hatred of the press
Watergate Chronology • June 17, 1972: Burglars caught in DNC HQ • Feb. 7, 1973: Senate Select Cmte on Presidential Campaign Activities • April 23, 1973: White House denies Nixon knew anything • May 25, 1973: Special Prosecutor Appointed • July 16, 1973: Butterfield testifies that tapes exist
Watergate Chronology • July 25, 1973: Nixon refuses to comply w/ subponea for tapes • October 20, 1973: Saturday Night Massacre” • July 24, 1974: Supreme Court orders Nixon to turn over tapes • July 27, 1974: Impeachment article adopted by House Judiciary Cmte • August 9, 1974: Nixon Resigns
Carter and Reagan • Introduction • Legacy of Watergate • Nixon forced to resign or face impeachment • Gerald Ford becomes VP: only president never elected • Credibility Gap very real; cynicism about government and service to country at a high
Carter and Reagan • Ford Presidency • Short-lived: August 1974-Jan. 1975 • Heavy political burden: The Nixon pardon • Claims of a “deal” were rampant • Party had no choice but to nominate and support, but…
Carter and Reagan • Policies (like most Presidents after 1968, had to deal w/ hostile Congress • Signed the 1974 Campaign Finance Reform Act that created the FEC AND set limits on corporate, individual and PAC contributions (later declared unconsitiutional in Buckley v. Valeo 1976) • South Vietnam fell on Ford’s “watch” further weakening his presidency
The Carter Presidency • Background • Born in Plains, GA in 1924 • U.S. Naval Academy (59 out of 820) • Nuclear engineer and peanut Farmer • Elected Governor of GA, 1966 and 1970
The Carter Presidency • Capitalized on his status as a Washington “outsider” • Began all his campaign speeches and appearances with “Hi, my name is Jimmy Carter and I’m running for president.” • Campaigned as “honest man”; homey, southern style, and “born-again” religion helped reinforce • Attacked wasteful, inefficient federal bureaucracy • Debates w/ Ford sealed the deal (Ford: “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe”
The Carter Presidency • Economic difficulties • “Stagflation” still plagued the nation: inflation (13.5% by 1980) and high unemployment (9% in 1977); Keynesnian spending no good • Encouraged Americans to conserve energy and water; Another energy crisis furthers inflation: 1979 OPEC hikes oil prices by 50% • a and b led to his unfortunate “malaise” speech (July 1979) “a crisis of confidence”
The Carter Presidency • Foreign Policy • Stressed “human rights” in all U.S. foreign policy • Biggest achievement of his presidency was the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel • Negotiated a treaty returning sovereignty of the Panama Canal (plus $1 billion) • Responded to Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by halting grain shipments and boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics
The Carter Presidency • Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis were final blows to Carter Presidency;
The Carter Presidency • Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis • aborted rescue attempt seemed to confirm the “crisis of confidence” and military decline since Vietnam • Carter’s inability to negotiate their release (444 days in captivity) seemed to confirm his weakness as a leader
The “Reagan Revolution” • Background • The Vietnam/Watergate “hangover” seemed perpetual • Politics and political leadership had practically become “dirty words” • President Carter had alienated traditional Democratic voters (esp. labor and African Americans) with his spending cuts and tight money policies • Time was ripe for new, innovative and dynamic leadership
The “Reagan Revolution” • Had all the right qualities to appeal to Republicans • Reputation as strong anticommunist from movie days • Supported the war in Vietnam • Fiscal and social conservative • Cold Warrior
The “Reagan Revolution” • Campaign focused on two themes • “Are you better of today than you were four years ago”? • Redeem America from moral pessimism and permissiveness of 1965-1975: “join me in my crusade to recapture our destiny. God bless America!” • Defeated Carter 489-49 (only GA, MD,MN and D.C. to Carter)
The “Reagan Revolution” • Election of 1980
The “Reagan Revolution” • Reaganonmics • The unlikely combination: cut taxes, increase defense spending, deregulation and reduction in social expenditures • Economic Recovery Act of 1981 • 25% tax cut over three years • Incentives for IRA’s • Cut maximum tax rates and capital gains taxes (taxes on profit made in stocks or other “speculative” operations • Cut corporate taxes and windfall profit tax on oil
The “Reagan Revolution” • Reaganonmics • Deregulation/Smaller Gov • Relaxed regulations on banking (interest-bearing checking accounts and money markets) • Deregulated the airlines: lower fares and more competition • Tried to open new land to development; Sec. of Interior James Watt was a lightening rod: leased off-shore drilling rights and proposed opening national parks to timber cutting • Broke the air traffic controllers union when they struck • Cut welfare by $35 billion, removed 400,000 families from AFDC and took 1 million off food stamps • Wanted to dissolve the Dept’s of Education and Energy but Congress refused (House solidly Democratic)
The “Reagan Revolution” • Foreign Policy • Reinvigorated the nation with aggressive foreign policy • Nationalistic rhetoric helped enhance public spirit: “It’s morning in America” • Invaded the tiny island of Grenada when pro-Castro group killed leading government officials: first military “victory” after Vietnam. • Launched several air attacks against Libya for support of terrorism and bogus claims of airspace in the Med • Used a Navy task force to escort oil tankers thru the Strait of Hormuz in defiance of Iran
The “Reagan Revolution” • Reinvigorated the Cold War • Hostages release after election Soviet Union is “Evil Empire” • Rejected Carter’s “human rights” philosophy and supported anti-communist dictators regardless of record • Expanded activity of the CIA (eventually causing his most damaging scandal) • Gave aid to anticommunist rebels all over the globe (Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nicaragua)
The “Reagan Revolution” • Foreign Policy • Supported right-wing governments in El Salvador despite atrocities and aided Nicaraguan “contra” rebels despite congressional protest (and later law); See Iran-Contra Scandal • Angered African Americans by “constructive engagement” policy on South Africa (Congress overrode his veto of trade sanctions bill)
The “Reagan Revolution” • Foreign Policy • Lebanon disaster highlighted his ineffective Middle East policies (241 Marines killed in truck bomb attack); • Embargoed arms sales to Iran, then secretly made an “arms for hostages” deal with Tehran
The “Reagan Revolution” • Election of 1984
The “Reagan Revolution” • Increased defense spending coincided with Mikhail Gorbechev’s rise in the U.S.S.R. and led to the “winning” of the Cold War • Increased spending from $134 billion in 1980 to $290 billion in 1988 • Used SDI to intimidate U.S.S.R. into arms reduction talks: INF Treaty in 1986 • Restored grain shipments to U.S.S.R. as Gorbachev liberalized the Soviet Union with glasnost and perestroika • GHW Bush reaped the Cold War harvest when the Berlin Wall came down (1989) and Gorbachev renounced the Brezhnev Doctrine; eastern Europe liberated itself and later the U.S.S.R. collapsed (1991)