Consolidating the Revolution

1. Consolidating the Revolution George Bush 1988 - 1993

2. 1988 Campaign • 54% of the vote • Bush: called for a “kinder, gentler America” and pledged “Read my lips: no new taxes” • Continued to play on racism • Stressed Reagan’s “achievements” • Better soviet relations • Low inflation • 14 million new jobs • Jesse Jackson: war on poverty and drugs • Michael Dukakis: stressed managerial skills • “this election is not about ideology, its about competence”

3. Collision of values • 1988 presidential nomination. • (R) Pat Robertson • tapped discontent of changes that had taken place since the 60s. • He used the mailing list from his “700 Club” program to mobilize conservative Christians • Push the Republican party further to the rights on family and social issues • Social ills due to over indulgence • (D) Jesse Jackson, a civil rights leader and minister from Chicago • grass roots campaign to move the Democratic party to the left. • “rainbow coalition” (labor unionists, feminists, and others) • Social ills due to racism and economic inequality

4. Pro-Bush Advertisements • Themes • Fear of crime • Fear or concern with racial tension • Fear of perceived erosion of social values • Rhetorical war on crime and drugs was his major domestic policy

5. War on Drugs • Federal drug control budget tripled • 1980s ¼ of federal inmates were drug offenders • Longer sentences • Mandatory jail time • Tougher parole terms for drug crimes pushed the proportion over 50% by 1990

6. Debtor Nation • Previous to Reagan foreigners owed the US and its citizens about 2500.00/family • By Bush each family owed about 7000.00 • After pledging not to raise taxes • Bush raised taxes in 1990

7. Foreign policy • South Africa • 1986 over a Reagan Veto congress imposed economic sanctions against white government • including a ban on corporate investment • Movement led by Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu • Pressure to release ANC leader Nelson Mandela • Negotiations, elections • 1992 first president, Mandela • Berlin • 1991Dismantling of the Soviet Union • Many soviets states broke away and established Republics • 1991 Bush & Gorbachev signed a treaty in Moscow to reduce strategic nuclear arsenals by 25% over 5 years • Gorbachev Resigned and replaced with Boris Yeltsin

8. Foreign policy • Nicaragua • Bush abandoned U.S. funded contra war against the socialist democratic Sandanista government • Continued to interfere politically and economically • Panama • 1989 Bush ordered invasion to capture General Manuel Noriega, formerly on the CIA payroll • Fall guy for “war on drugs”

9. Persian Gulf War • August 2, 1990 President Saddam Hussein of Iraq seized the oil rich country of Iraq • Quick Conquest gave Iraq 20% of the worlds oil production and reserves • Anti-Iraq coalition • Bush demanded unconditional withdraw • Enlisted European & Arab allies • Convinced Saudi Arabia to accept substantial U.S. Forces

10. Justifications of Invasion • Desire to punish armed aggression • Presumed need to protect Iraq’s other neighbors • No evidence of Iraqi preparations against Saudi Arabia. • The build up of American air power plus effective economic sanctions would have accomplished both protection and punishment. • Sanctions and diplomatic pressure might also have brought withdrawal from most or all of Kuwait. • Additional American objectives • Destroy Iraq’s capacity to create nuclear weapons • to topple Saddam’s regime

11. Resolution 678 • Troops in Saudi Arabia increased to 580,000 • Security Council Resolution 678 • “all necessary means to liberate Kuwait” • United Nations Umbrella • Ignored compromise and concessions

12. Operation Desert Storm • January 16, 1991 • Massive air attacks • Bombed transportation facilities, utilities, food supplies • 40 day bombing, prelude to ground assault • After 100 hours a ceasefire was called • 148 dead (35 friendly fire) 467 wounded U.S. • 15,000 dead and 65,000 wounded Iraqi’s

13. Persian Gulf War • Proved Americans were again ready to use military might to pursue national interests • “By God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam Syndrome once and for All” • H.W. Bush

14. 1990s impact of Reagan era tax cuts and deregulation • Collapse of the Savings and Loan industry • Provider of home loans and secure return to investors • Due to policies 1988-1990 600 S&L’s failed • Wiped out savings for depositors • Government bailouts $400 billion • The bailout, the war & the medicare/medicaid payments increased national deficit • Recession increased jobless rate to above 7% and American’s living in poverty increased to 34 million from 2.1 million

15. Domestic PolicyRodney King Riot • April 1992, Los Angeles, California • Reminder of the nations inattention to the problems of racism and poverty • Confirmation of biased behavior of police towards minorities • Televised trial of not guilty verdict for those officers who savagely beat king • 4 days of rioting • African Americans, Central and South Americans, Mexicans (1/3 of 12,000 arrests) • Attacked Korean and Vietnamese owned shops as symbols of economic discrimination

16. Growth in the Sunbelt • Rise in military and defense spending • Growth in the sun belt • Southern and western regions of the united states: anchored in Florida, Texas and California. • Outsourcing to the South and foreign countries

17. Defense Spending • Military bases and defense contractors remolded the economic landscape • south and western regions attracted 75% of military payrolls • Large universities • (MIT, UM, Cali Institute for Tech, Stanford • leading defense contractors • 1/3 of all engineers worked in defense.

18. Immigration & Nationality Act 1965 • Transformed the ethnic mix of the U.S. and helped to stimulate the Sunbelt boom • abolished the National Quota System • 1924-1965 Western Europeans • Negative: added to number of non union workers • Positive: abundance of opportunities for talent and ambition for expanding economy

19. Cross-Border Economy • 1960a Mexican Government encouraged a platform economy • allowing companies on the Mexican side of the border to import components and inputs duty-free • 80% of the items were re-exported and 90% of the workers were Mexican. • Encouraged American companies to locate assembly plants south of the border • Maquila industries • lower wage workers • avoid strict antipollution laws • (leading to serious threats to public health on both sides) • 1800 plants employed ½ million workers

20. Women’s Rights & Public Policy • 1960s gains • Title IX of the Educational Amendments (1972) & the Civil Rights Act • Prohibited discrimination by sex in any educational program receiving federal aid • Expanded athletic opportunities for women • Slowly equalized the balance of women and men in faculty positions

21. Equal Rights Amendment • 1972 Congress sent the ERA to the states for ratification • “Equal rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex” • 20 states ratified the ERA within the first few months • Conservatives rallied strong opposition • Time limit for ratification expired in 1982 three states short

22. Abortion Rights • January 1973 The U.S. Supreme Court expanded the debate about women’s rights with the case of Roe v. Wade • Struck down state laws forbidding abortion and set guidelines for abortion during remaining months • 14th amendment includes a right to privacy that blocks states from interfering with a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy

23. Opposition to Women’s Rights • Fueled by rhetoric • Male fears of increased job competition during a time with fewer employment opportunities • Male fears about traditional family roles • Female demands that women are equal individuals • Female conservative belief that women had a special role as anchor’s of families

24. Women in the Work force • Eroding wages and ability to live on one income increased women’s need to participate in the paid labor force • 2000 61% married women looking for work • 69% single women looking for work • Jobs continued to be segregated by sex through 2000 • Women continued to be hired in “female” jobs • Some changes due to pressure of women’s movement increased number of women in traditionally male jobs

25. Supreme Court Nominations • Clarence Thomas • Anita Hill Trial for sexual harassment by Thomas • Appointments blunted liberalism of previous decades • Narrowed rights of arrested persons • Barred physicians in federally funded clinics from discussing abortion with patients • Planned Parenthood v Casey • court affirmed Roe v Wade but upheld a Penn. law restricting abortion rights

26. Environmental policies • 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 10 million gallons of oil • Fouled coastal habitats, killed 1000s of animals, • Jeopordized the herring and salmon industries • Air pollution • in more than 100 cities exceeded federal standards • 1991 the Environmental Protection Agency • study found that pollutants were seriously depleting the atmospheres ozone layer • Scuttled treaties on global warming • Backed oil exploration in Alaskan wilderness preserves • Proposed to open protected wetlands to developers

27. Ideological Shift/Conservative Backlash • 1950-60s American’s argued over • foreign policy • racial justice • economy • Since the 1980s they have quarreled over • beliefs and values • patterns of family life • Religious belief has heavily influenced politics as groups and individuals try to shape America around their own ideas of a godly society