Changing Leaders in Washington The Ford and Carter Years

Gerald Ford  First President never elected to the Executive Branch.  What to do about Richard Nixon?  Election reforms.  Oil  The election of 1976

What to do about Nixon?  Originally Ford said he would do nothing until the courts acted.  2 weeks later Ford went on TV and granted Nixon a full pardon for any crimes he may have committed as President.  Clemency for those who evaded the Draft

Oil  America became reliant on imported oil in 1960’s and 1970’s.  1971 Libya began to gouge foreign markets other OPEC nations followed suit.  Oil prices increased 5 fold.

Oil Supply Diminished  1973 the Middle East erupted in the Yom Kippur War.  Arab nations angered at America’s favoritism of Israel led them to cut off Oil.  Americans had to wait in lines for gas.

The Election of 1976 The Republican Nomination  Ford announced he wanted to be President in his own right.  California Governor Ronald Reagan challenged him as the representative of the Conservative wing of the party.

Ford Won the Nomination  Ford narrowly won the nomination.  This picture was a symbolic show of solidarity among Republicans.  Reagan would be back in 1980.

The Election of 1976 The Democratic Nomination  Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer from Georgia.  He was elected Governor of Georgia and set his sights on the Presidency in  Washington Outsider

The Presidency of Jimmy Carter  Carter loses the Congress  Inflation  Energy and the environment  Changing Middle East

The Changing Congress  Watergate made new members suspicious of President.  Party politics was giving way to special interests.  Carter was not able to maintain even Democratic support.

Special Interest Groups  People became less interested in politics in general and more interested in specific issues.  The financial influence of PAC’s took precedence over party politics

American Involvement in the Middle East  Carter tried to assist in bringing peace to Middle East.  The U.S. counted on a friendly Iran for oil.  Ayatollah Khomeini wanted nothing to do with the U.S..  We allowed the overthrown Shah to enter America

The Hostage Crisis  1979 Ayatollah Khomeini demanded the Shah be returned to Iran.  When we refused Iranians seized our embassy and took diplomats hostage.  April 1980 we failed in a rescue attempt 8 servicemen died  The Shah died in the U.S. the hostages were not freed.

1980  That was the situation going into  Reagan was a former actor, in his element during televised debates.  Conservative message

The Reagan Revolution

The Conservative Message of Reagan  Downsize the Government  Supply Side Economics  Assassination Attempt  Labor and Farmers  Middle East and Central America  Winning the Cold War

Supply Side Economics  Supply Siders believed that the higher the tax rate the more government revenue there would be.  BUT, there was a breaking point. Beyond which people would not be motivated to work The Laffer Curve

The Assassination Attempt  March 30, 1981 John Hinckley shot Reagan and 3 others in Washington DC  He was found Not Guilty by reason of insanity.

The Presidential Connection by the Numbers  William Harrison (pneumonia)  Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)  James Garfield (assassinated)  William McKinley (assassinated)  Warren Harding (heart attack)  Franklin Roosevelt (cerebral hemorrhage)  John F. Kennedy (assassinated)  1980 – Ronald Reagan (attempted assassination)  Zachary Taylor is the only president not elected in a year ending in zero who did die in office.

Labor and Farmers  Reagan set the tone for labor when he fired the air traffic controllers. He broke the strike He positioned government on the side of big business  The Green Revolution American farmers struggled

Winning the Cold War  Soviet Union and Eastern Europe  Mikhail Gorbachev Glasnost- Allowed freedom of expression in the Soviet Union Perestroika- Gradual economic reforming of the USSR while avoiding internal revolutions

Bush and Clinton Years The Bridge to the 21 st Century

The Dilemma of Conservatism  1988 Republican nominee George Bush vowed “No New Taxes.”  He defeated Michael Dukakis by painting him as a radical liberal. THE PARDON

Bush’s Struggle to Maintain Conservatism Conservatism in the 1980s Economic Policy Social Policy Foreign Policy Key IssuesTax cuts and supply-side economics Conservative Supreme Court appointments; new restrictions on abortion and affirmative action; "tough on crime" Increased military spending; intervention in foreign affairs

The Fall of President Bush  Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill.  Rodney King race riots  The taxes he promised not to pass  Inability to relate to the people

The Successes of the Bush Presidency  The fall of the Soviet Union  The crumbling of the Berlin Wall  Liberation of Eastern Europe  The liberation of Kuwait  Victory in the Gulf War

The rise of the “Comeback Kid”  The Clinton Campaign just wouldn’t quit. Challenged Bush when he seemed unbeatable Alleged indiscretion led to an honest interview that played well with the public Perot dropped out just before Clinton was nominated

The Clinton Years  Politics of the Center  The Republican Congress  Re-election  Economic Growth  The Scandals

The Politics of the Center  Americans feared strong stances and radicals. Clinton was a moderate who seemed to be Republican on some issues and Democratic on others. Demopublican or Republicrat

The Politics of the Center  Clintonian Programs Head Start (D) Anti-Crime (R) Welfare Reform (R) Air Quality Regs. (D) Moderate Gun Control (D) NAFTA (R) WTO (R) Deficit Reduction (D) Gays in military (D)

The Republican Congress  Scandals and Problems led to Republican majorities in 1994 Whitewater Investigations Sexual Harassment ATF raids on Waco Health Care The “Contract With America” Time Man of the Year 1995

The Comeback Kid Does It Again!  How did he do it? The Budget War Clinton wins Welfare Reform Clinton Signed it Republicans could not use it Bob Dole was 73 Clinton wins  Clinton Wins