Neoconservativism & the Rise of Reagan

1. Neoconservativism & the Rise of Reagan

2. Neoconservativism • Late 70s: Neo-Conservatives reacted against social protest & liberalism of the 60s & 70s • Focus on free-enterprise capitalism, balanced budget, & lower taxes • Wanted smaller gov, less social welfare, stronger military • Focus on return to “family values” Often referred to as “New Right” Return to prayer in public schools Against homosexuality & pornography Death penalty

3. Neo-Conservativism Moral Majority allied with Phyllis Schlafly to defeat the ERA • Early NeoCon movement led by evangelist Jerry Falwell • His Moral Majority led conservative attack on: • Equal Rights Amendment • Abortion & the Supreme Court’s ruling of Roe v Wade (1973) • School busing, porn, & welfare “Life begins at conception” “The rights of the unborn supersede a woman’s right to control her own body”

4. The Reagan Revolution of 1980 • Ronald Reagan won in a landslide: • GOP “rode his coattails” to Congress • GOP added “Reagan Democrats”: women, blue-collar workers, southerners • Only group in “FDR bloc” who overwhelmingly voted for Carter were African-Americans Reagan asked voters: “Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?” GOP took Senate for the 1st time since 1954 …& narrowed the Democratic majority in the House

5. Limiting the Role of Government Reduced govrestrictions on air pollution, fuel efficiency, wilderness, endangered species & stock market • Reagan’s 1st term defined by deregulation of national gov: • Conservatives appointed to EPA, OSHA, & SEC – reduced restrictions in favor of business productivity • Strong anti-labor stance / weakened power of American unions Fired air traffic controllers when members went on strike

6. Reaganomics Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981 cut social services: food stamps, mass transit, student loans & the arts • Blamed 70s stagflation on high gov spending & high taxes • Reagan’s economic plan involved: • “Supply-side economics”: • Tax cut for wealthy • Decrease spending by $41.4 billion & end Keynesian deficit spending …but military spending jumped to $2 trillion over 8 years

7. Supply Side Economics

8. Reaganomics • Benefits of “Reaganomics” • Inflation, unemployment & trade deficit all declined by 1990 • Growth in service sector jobs • Disadvantages of “Reaganomics” • Manufacturing jobs fell – outsourcing • Increased social inequalities • Huge federal deficits 16 million new jobs, unemployment below 6%, inflation fell to 4%

9. U.S. Budget Deficits, 1980-1997 The deficit was $70.5 billion in 1976 but $207 billion in 1983 Congress passed Gramm-Rudman Act in 1985 to create a budget ceiling & set 1993 as the target date to end the federal deficit

10. Share of Household Income 80s: rich got richer & poor got poorer The economic gap hurt blacks the most (60% lived in cities with high unemployment) The 1980s defined by money, status & wealth

11. In the 1970s & 1980s, the 3rd wave of American immigration began

12. Social Programs • Reagan opposed major social reforms: • High school dropout rates & crime increased in the 1980s • Affirmative action & school busing programs to assist African-Americans were limited • Women’s abortion rights were attacked But Reagan appointed 1stfemale to SCOTUS, Sandra Day O’Connor In Regents v Bakke (1978)SCOTUS ruled for of affirmative action but not quotas

13. The War on Drugs DEA, Customs, & Coast Guard attempts to keep drugs out • 80s: cocaine use boomed, especially with the creation of “crack” cocaine • Reagan fought the “war on drugs”: • Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” program helped educate kids • The federal gov’t failed to stop the flow of drugs into the U.S. Negotiations with Peru, Bolivia, Colombia failed to limit drug smuggling

15. The AIDS Epidemic • 1st documented cases of AIDS occurred in 80s: • 1st cases were among gay men in SF & NY in 1981 • People worried about contaminated national blood supply • Lack of sympathy for gays, budget cuts & ignorance led to limited government response 2,800 known AIDS cases by 1983 12,000 AIDS cases by 1985 50,000 AIDS cases by 1987 982,498 AIDS cases by 2006

16. Reagan Affirmed • 1984 election: • Dem Walter Mondale attacked Reagan deficits / promised to raise taxes to end US debts • Reagan made leadership the issue “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet” • Reagan won in a landslide by attracting even more “Reagan Democrats” than 1980

17. Reagan & Foreign Policy

18. Reagan & Foreign Policy • Committed to restoring US supremacy in the world • Blamed Carter for allowing US prestige to drop to an all-time low • Increased military spending • Confronted challenges in the Middle East & in Latin America

19. Trouble Spots in the Middle East under Reagan & Bush, 1980-1991 In 1982, Reagan sent Marines to help evacuate Lebanon during an Israeli attack on PLO bases Marines were seen as the enemy & 239 were killed when attacked by a suicide bombing Reagan was concerned that the Palestinian Liberation Org (PLO) would threaten the Camp David accords In 1983, the terrorist group Hezbollah captured 6 American hostages Reagan gave the order to withdraw from Lebanon in 1984

20. Trouble Spots in Latin America Reagan attempted to resist Communism in Latin America U.S. Marines invaded Grenada in 1983 to keep a radical regime from turning over an airfield to Cuba or the USSR In 1979, Nicaraguan Sandinista rebels led a coup against a U.S.-backed regime In 1983, Congress denied Reagan’s request to aid Nicaraguan efforts to overthrow the Sandinista gov’t (Contras)

21. The Iran-Contra Affair • 1987: Iran-Contra Affair rocked the Reagan administration: • To free 6 U.S. hostages in Iran, the NSC & CIA covertly sold missiles to Khomeini’s gov’t • Profits from missile sales were used to aid Nicaragua Contras • Reagan avoided implication through “plausible deniability” The “Teflon president”

22. Challenging the "Evil Empire" • Reagan viewed USSR as "focus of evil in the modern world” & as a threat to US security • Maintained hard-line approach • Strategic Defense Initiative: • Anti-missile space laser system “Soviet-sponsored guerillas & terrorists are at work in Central & South America, in Africa, the Middle East, in the Caribbean, & in Europe, violating human rights & unnerving the world with violence.” SDI was dubbed the “Star Wars” program

23. Ending the Cold War Moderate capitalism in the economy: Legalization of small private business Relaxed laws prohibiting land ownership Approval of foreign investment within USSR • Reagan worked with new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to end the Cold War: • 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev began perestroika & glasnost – eased Cold War tensions • Reagan-”Gorby” summits 1986-88 led to nuclear arms reduction Cut defense budget, withdrew troops from Afghanistan & promoted democratization of former satellite nations in Eastern Europe “Openness”: Freedom of press, assembly, travel, religion 1stworking legislature/competitive elections Liberation of hundreds of political prisoners

25. The End of the Cold War Countries of the former USSR by 2000 1989: Gorbachev’s promotion of democratization in Eastern Europe inspired overthrow of 40 years of communist rule In 1990, following the example of Eastern Europe, many Soviet republics within the USSR demanded independence, leading to…

26. Reagan’s Successor: George Bush Especially the war on drugs • Reagan’s successor was George Bush – promised 1988 voters “kinder, gentler nation” • Bush kept most of Reagan’s domestic agenda / added few policies of his own • Bush had great foreign policy experience before becoming president – which he needed to win the Persian Gulf War Ambassador to China Director of the CIA 2 term VP under Reagan UN ambassador

27. The Persian Gulf War, 1991 In 1990, Saddam Hussein ordered Iraqi invasion of oil-rich Kuwait US feared a subsequent invasion of ally Saudi Arabia US forged an international coalition against Iraq & UN imposed economic sanctions on Iraq

28. In 1991, Bush gained approval from Congress to begin Operation Desert Storm & removed Iraqi forces in Kuwait in 100 hours

29. The Persian Gulf War • US success in Iraq led Bush to declare a “new world order” & saw approval ratings soar to 90% • But… • Hussein wasn’t removed from power & economic sanctions did little to weaken him • Troops stationed in Saudi Arabia led to increased anti-US sentiment & rise of Al Qaeda under Osama bin Laden

30. The Election of 1992 • Despite voter approval of Gulf War, Bush’s real problem was economic: • Federal deficit & downward trend in stock market led to ‘89 recession • Cut military spending • Broke a ’88 campaign promise never to raise taxes • By ‘92, Clinton took advantage of the economic recession & won “It’s the economy, stupid”