Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan

1. Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan

2. Nixon Domestic Policy • "New Federalism” - returning power to the states, reversing the flow of power and resources from states and communities to Washington, and start power and resources flowing back to people all over America. Involved a 5-year plan to distribute $30 billion of federal revenues to states

3. Nixon Domestic Policy • Stagflation • Removing the U.S. currency from the Gold Standard • AFDC • Burger Court • Health and Safety issues

4. Nixon Domestic Policy • Wage and price controls - 1971 - To curb inflation, President Nixon froze prices, wages, and revenues for 90 days. • Watergate • Committee for the Reelection of the President (CREEP) • White House "Plumbers“ • Watergate tapes • H. R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, John W. Dean and John Mitchell • Impeachment proceedings • Nixon resigned on August 9.1974

5. Nixon’s Foreign Policy • Henry Kissinger • The Nixon Doctrine – Vietnamization, Yom Kippur War, India and Pakistan, Chile • Ping Pong Diplomacy • Détente • SALT • Arab oil embargo - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

6. Gerald Ford • Whip Inflation Now (WIN) Unemployment and inflation climbing • Vetoes Congress 39 times over spending • 1975- S. Vietnam falls, Khmer Rouge takes over Cambodia, Mayaquez incident • 25th amendment • 1976 election – Reagan vs. Ford – Rep. primary • The Helsinki Accord

7. Jimmy Carter • Outsider, former governor of Georgia, graduate of U.S. Naval Academy • Devout Christian, Promised never to lie to the American people • Economic policy • Cut domestic programs • Deregulated airlines and trucking industry • Raised interest rates and another oil crisis

8. Truth Hurts • Amnesty for draft dodgers • Nuclear power ( Three Mile Island) • Love Canal • The “Malaise Speech” • A “crisis of confidence” • Pointed the finger at the American people for being self-indulgent and vapid consumers

9. Carter and Foreign Policy • SALT II • Panama Canal Treaty • Camp David Accords -Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat • Iranian Crisis, the Shah, the Ayatollah Khomeini(444 Days) • Afghanistan, 1979 - Olympic Boycott, 1980 • Ties foreign policy with human rights • Carter’s presidency is considered a disaster

10. The Rise of Conservatism • Neo-cons – the atmosphere of the 1960’s had eroded moral standards and the respect for authority. • Hard core anti-communist (forget détente) • Lower taxes, less government interference • Tough on criminals • Rise of the religious right (The Moral Majority) • Anti-ERA (Phyllis Schlafly)

11. The Tax Revolt • Anti environmental regulations • Government regulations raised business cost and eliminates jobs • California’s Prop 13 – ban on increase property taxes • Sagebrush revolution (Western States over control of Federal lands)

12. Ronald Reagan • Carter’s popularity down to 20% in 1980 • “Let’s Make America Great Again” and ”The era of self-doubt is over” • Called for states’ rights, end of welfare cheats, anti-ERA, and family values • Received 91% of the electoral vote and 51% of the vote

13. Reagan Revolution • Brought together many groups • Excellent public speaker • U.S. a beacon of liberty and freedom • Wanted to free the government from special interest • “Economic freedom “ Reaganomics – Trickle down economics

14. Supply side economics • Reaganomics policy based on the theory that allowing companies the opportunity to make profits, and encouraging investment, will stimulate the economy and lead to higher standards of living for everyone. • Argued that tax cuts can be used stimulate economic growth. • Move money into the hands of the people and they will invest, thus creating prosperity.

15. Reaganomics • Reduced top tax from 70% to 50%, by 1986 had dropped the tax rate to 28% • Cutback on government regulatory enforcement at the workplace and the environment • Trickle down – Higher interest rates with lower taxes on the wealthy • Anti-labor – air traffic controllers, shifting of manufacturing jobs overseas

16. A Second Gilded Age? • Merging and downsizing of companies • “Greed is healthy” – Ivan Boesky • Yuppies – young urban professionals high income conspicuous consumers • DINKs • Savings and Loan collapse • Increased military spending and lower taxes? • Debt tripled during the Reagan years

17. Foreign Affairs • The Evil Empire • SDI (strategic defense initiative) • NATO – short range missiles • Granada • Libya • Lebanon bombing of the Marines barracks • Support of totalitarian 3rd world governments if anti-communist

18. Iran-Contra Scandal • 1984 Congress banned aid to the Contras • 1985 Iraq and Iran at war • U.S. sells weapons secretly to Iran to free American hostages • Reagan agrees to skim parts of the sells to arm and supply the Contras. They do this for 2 years

19. Reagan and Gorbachev • Gorbachev works to reform Soviet Union and its economy • Glasnost (political openness) and perestroika (economic reform) • Work on arms reduction, convinces the Russians to pull out of Afghanistan