Ford and Carter as Presidents Flashcards
1
Q
What were the key issues under Ford?
A
- inflation and unemployment rising
- social issues such as busing, abortion, women’s rights, indigenous American and Hispanic rights were proving divisive
2
Q
Why did Ford rise to power?
A
- decency, integrity and fairness
- a ‘man of the people’ and former American football star
3
Q
In what way was Ford made fun of?
A
- Chevy Chase impersonated Ford every week by falling down stairs and accidentally injuring himself on Saturday Night Live 1975
- Johnson said Ford played too much football without his helmet and that ‘Jerry Ford is so dumb he can’t fart and chew gum at the same time’
4
Q
How did Carter win the election?
A
- gained support of George Wallace in South through positioning himself as a devout Catholic and Southerner
- established himself in North East through relentless campaigning
- travelled over 50,000 miles and delivered over 200 speeches before other candidates even announced candidacy
5
Q
What were the themes of Carter’s policies?
A
- saw himself as a reformer and progressive in spirit of Woodrow Wilson
- policies marked by desire to heal divides: pardoned Vietnam draft resisters, ended funding for the B1 bomber and pushed for comprehensive consumer-protection bill
6
Q
Why was Congress unwilling to cooperate with Carter?
A
- Carter unwilling to win friends in Congress through usual method of promising federal funding in certain states/districts
- pattern of mutual contempt and distrust established
- however, still had higher success rate in getting legislation through than Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford
- 29 pieces of legislation passed, including 3 significant energy acts, 5 environmental acts and several pro-business acts
7
Q
What advances were made for LGBTQ people under Ford and Carter?
A
- successful for campaigning for removal of homosexuality in the DSMV in 1973
- 1977: 14 LGBT activists invited to White House in first visit of the kind
- 1980: Carter refused to issue Executive Order banning LGBT discrimination in the federal government - unwilling to risk political capital in first term like Johnson did
8
Q
What advances were made for the feminist movement under Ford and Carter?
A
- 1975: Taylor v Louisiana - ruled excluding women from jury pool illegal because it violates a person’s right to a fair trial
- 1976: five US Service academies required to admit women - 300 enrolled that year
- 1978: Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- began to change
- began to change laws that meant another witness needed to charge a man with rape other than the woman
- 1980: more women voted than men in the election
9
Q
What corruption was there under Ford?
A
- Church Committee revealed the CIA had not been honest about overseas engagements since their creation
- scandals involving Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz (racist comments) and Otto Kerner (imprisoned for bribery committed whilst Governor of Illinois)
10
Q
What corruption occured in Carter’s government?
A
- 30 Congressmen accused of taking bribes from South Korean government to reverse Nixon’s decision to remove troops from South Korea
- led to Richard Hanna serving a year in prison
- Bert Lance, Office of Management and Budget Director, fired a year into role after being connected to dubious banking practices in Georgia
- led to voter turnout in midterm elections in 1974 and 1978 hitting a 30yr low
11
Q
What corruption occurred in Carter’s family?
A
- sister Ruth Carter Stapleton pictured with Larry Flynt, owner of porn magazine Hustler
- younger brother Billy Carter marketed his own ‘Billy Beer’ and received $250,000 from the Libyan government for an unspecified reason after visiting three times - Senate led investigation dubbed ‘Billygate’
