The Watergate Scandal

1. The Watergate Scandal The Rise of Cynicism

2. The Nixon Years • Richard Nixon’s Political Career • Anticommunist in 1950’s • VP to Eisenhower • Lost to JFK in 1960 • Elected President in 1968

3. 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

4. Nixonas “Harmonizer” • Election of 1968 • Nixon Defeats Herbert Humphrey • Nixon Defeats George Wallace

5. 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”

6. The Election of 1968

7. Election of 1968 • Nixon and Republicans win • See how to build new winning coalition • Wallace’s success lead’s to new electoral strategy

8. 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

9. Election of 1972

10. 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

11. The Watergate Scandal • What was Watergate?

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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…

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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”

20. 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”

21. 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

22. The Carter Presidency • Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis were final blows to Carter Presidency;

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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)

27. The “Reagan Revolution” • Election of 1980

28. 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

29. 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)

30. 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

31. 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)

32. 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)

33. 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

34. The “Reagan Revolution” • Election of 1984

35. 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)