Reagan

The Emergence of Reagan

June 23, 2008

I. The Rise and Fall of Rights-Related Liberalism

1. Preventing Another Watergate (goal: check political corruption, limit executive authority, and create a more open Congress; Watergate elections key—75 Democratic freshmen—VanderVeen, Downey, Edgar; lasting initiatives: FOIA, Budget and Impoundment Act, election of committee chairs; open meeting rules; ethics ineffectiveness: Federal Campaign Act Amendments—weakness of FEC, significance of Buckley v. Valeo; independent counsel; a pre-9/11 world: FBI Domestic Security Investigation Guidelines, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act)

2. Feminism and the Constitution (constitutional front—abortion rights and building off earlier movements; run-up to Roe; Blackmun decision, Rehnquist dissent; rise of ERA—Paul and National Woman’s Party; opposition from women labor activists—Perkins, Peterson; importance of EEOC; broad initial base, then cultural reaction; Schlafly and public response—military, protection of women in labor, class divisions; same with abortion—Catholics, traditionalists, cracks in Democratic coalition and Carter election)

II. The Travails of Jimmy Carter

1. Deindustrialization and Decline (policy effects: LBJ and Vietnam War, growth of deficit and abuse of fiscal policy, RN and wage/price controls; broad patterns: globalization and international competition, emergence of West Germany and Japan, effects of unions and competitiveness; international threats: Iranian revolution and quadrupling oil prices, other foreign policy setbacks, Richard Viguerie and 1978 elections—defeats of McIntyre and Clark; “stagflation”; shattering of Democratic coalition—Watergate Democrats, Carter as technocrat, role of Volcker)

2. Deregulation (regulation and the progressive ethos—unifying progressive era-reformers; regulation develops—institutionalizing monopolies, AT&T as example?; emergence of libertarian critique—Kahn; air travel: Airline Deregulation Act, growth of cut-fare airlines, expansions and consolidation; energy: failure of price controls strategy, move to conservation; telecommunications: MCI lawsuit, Wirth and breakup of AT&T, public backlash; long-term effects—competition, cell phones, etc., cable television; high-tech: Apple/IBM battle)

3. 1980 (Iranian hostage crisis and American politics; Kennedy challenge, Carter rebound, and path to convention; GOP: Reagan, potential challengers—Bush, Baker, Connally, nomination; Anderson ticket; role of debate; down-ticket victories)

	House margin	House org.	Senate margin	Senate org.
1974	+49D	+147D	+4D	+24D
1976	+1D	+149D	n/c	+24D
1978	+15R	+119D	+3R	+18D
1980	+35R	+49D	+12R	+6R