Political Corruption and Loss of national self confidence Flashcards
what did watergate create
The Watergate scandal generated public disillusionment and disrespect for politicians. A series of scandals, beginning with Ford’s pardon of Nixon which convinced many that American politics were irredeemably corrupt.
what did ford’s pardon of Nixon damage
Ford’s pardon of Nixon irreparably damaged relations with Congress, the public and the media
what did Republicans blame the pardon on
Republican congressmen blamed the pardon for the loss of 43 House seats in 1974 and right-wing Republicans openly criticised Ford.
how did Republicans mock Ford
A conservative New Hampshire newspaper called him ‘Jerry the Jerk’.
who damaged Ford
Reagan
how did Reagan damage Ford
By late 1974, Republican Governor Ronald Reagan of California was privately asserting that Ford was a ‘caretaker’ who had been ‘in congress too long’. Backed by other Republican right-wingers, Reagan challenged Ford for the republican presidential nomination in 1976. Reagan ran as an outsider untainted by the corruption of Washington DC. Ford won the nomination but Reagan humiliated him and weakened him for the fight against the Democrat presidential candidate - Jimmy Carter
turnout in the 1976 election
The lowest presidential turnout since 1948, only 54% voted.
vote margin between Ford and Carter
Carter won 49.9% of the vote, to Ford’s 47.9%
Why was the voting turnout so low?
Neither candidate excited the electorate, when polled on whether the candidates had presidential quality, three-quarters of Americans thought both lacked it. Ford staffers told the president that ‘vast numbers’ of voters saw ‘no practical difference’ between him and Carter. The low turnout and public opinion polls demonstrated the electorates disillusionment.
voting during Carters years
In the Carter years, around half of the electorate never bothered to vote, clearly feeling alienated from the political process. Polls illustrated Americans loss of confidence in politicians and the government
percentage of Americans who felt that the government will ‘do what is right most of the time’ in 1969
56%
percentage of Americans who felt that the government will ‘do what is right most of the time’ in 1979
29%
% of people who believed that government officials were ‘smart people who know what they are doing’ in 1969
69%
% of people who believed that government officials were ‘smart people who know what they are doing’ in 1979
29%
why carter won
- Reagan’s divisive and exhausting challenge to Ford
- The perception that Ford was a weak and indecisive leader who had lost ground to the soviets
- Economic problems - inflation was in double figures and Americans were worries about oil shortages and gasoline prices
- Corruption under Ford
corruption under Ford
Racist comments made by Ford’s secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz - said this in front of reporters
Ford kept many of nixon’s team in positions of significance - alexander haig
he put Nelson Rockellefer as VP which alienated the right of the party - many felt it should have been RR
Had problems working with Congress. Many felt there had been some secret deal between Nixon and Ford over the pardon. Ford was accused of giving special favors to a friend he golfed with. John Dean claimed that Ford tried to stop the Watergate investigations. Carter made much of the corruption issue, emphasizing that he had not been part of the corrupt Washington scene. His campaign exploited the nation’s anti-Washington mood. Many considered the fed govt immoral. Carter appealed to the American public to help him improve it
carter and corruption
Carter had run on an anti-Washington platform and pledged to end the pork-barrel politics that characterized Capitol Hill. However, he too was involved in scandals the worst of which was billygate
carter and corruption
Carter had run on an anti-Washington platform and pledged to end the pork-barrel politics that characterized Capitol Hill. However, he too was involved in scandals the worst of which was billygate
billygate
The president’s older brother billy carter was seen as a beer-bellied redneck. His self-deprecatory humor made him a popular talk show guest and lecturer. In 1978, Billy visited Libya and in 1979 he hosted a reception for them, his pro-Libya and pro-arab sentiments were interpreted as anti-semitism. Carter had no control over his brother. in July 1980, he received a $220k loan from the Libyan government - billy-gate raised a political storm - the media speculated on the president’s involvement. The American public decided that Carter was not corrupt just incompetent -he didn’t use billy libyan contacts to help free the iranian hostages
the loss of national self confidence
The protest movements of the 60s reflected and generated a more critical view of American society and politics. Then the credibility gap over Vietnam, watergate, ford’s pardon and carter’s inability to cope, all combined to create growing voter disillusion and a sense of a nation in crisis. This was exacerbated by international problems and an economic crisis
economic crisis
After WWII, the US was the worlds wealthiest nation. However, there were worrying economic trends by the 60s. While America still led the world in manufacturing, which employed many Americans those industries were in decline. The expense of the Vietnnam war and to a lesser extent the GS raised the fed govt deficit from 1.6B in 65 to 25.3B in 68 leading to inflation and a weakened dollar. By 73, countries such as Japan and West Germany seemed poised to overtake the US as the worlds leading economic power. The economy suffered from inflation mostly due to rising oil prices, fed govt overspending a balance of trade deficit and a weakened currency. This impacted the lives of Americans many of whom had an insatiable desire for consumer goods and oil that they now struggled to afford
inflation in 1974
12.3%
inflation and unemployment
Price rose by 2.7% in July 1974 alone - a 1978 poll showed that 63% of Americans considered inflation their greatest concern. Cost of living rose at 8.2% between 73 and 83 which affected family incomes. The hardest hit were those in the areas with declining manufacturing output known as the Rust Belt. Those previously accustomed to well paid manufacturing work were unemployed. Unemployment ross across the nation. It rose from 6,5% in dec 1974 to 8.9% by mar 75. The increase was due to increased mechanization which meant that machines were replacing men - countries such as Germany and Japan were producing manufactured goods at lower prices and often superior quality. It was difficult for those who lost manufacturing jobs to find alternative jobs apart from in service industries which were often low paid. the min wage rose from 2.10 in 75 to 3.35 in 81 it failed to keep pace with rising prices - many women had to work to maintain the family income - 38% - 1960 - 52% - 1980
inflation and unemployment
Price rose by 2.7% in July 1974 alone - a 1978 poll showed that 63% of Americans considered inflation their greatest concern. Cost of living rose at 8.2% between 73 and 83 which affected family incomes. The hardest hit were those in the areas with declining manufacturing output known as the Rust Belt. Those previously accustomed to well paid manufacturing work were unemployed. Unemployment ross across the nation. It rose from 6,5% in dec 1974 to 8.9% by mar 75. The increase was due to increased mechanization which meant that machines were replacing men - countries such as Germany and Japan were producing manufactured goods at lower prices and often superior quality. It was difficult for those who lost manufacturing jobs to find alternative jobs apart from in service industries which were often low paid. the min wage rose from 2.10 in 75 to 3.35 in 81 it failed to keep pace with rising prices - many women had to work to maintain the family income - 38% - 1960 - 52% - 1980
oil crisis
cheap oil had been vital to america’s post WWII prosperity and economic growth. However, the US went from energy self sufficiency to energy deficit. 30% of the oil america used were imported from the Middle East, however the Nixon’s support of Isreal led to an oil embargo./ This led to a 387% increase in oil prices that damaged american industry which hit the americans standard of living. one third of the rise in prices was due to increased cost of oil.
events - oil
serveral events illustrated the seriousness of the energy crisis during the decade -
1974 - strike by 100,000 truckers demanding lower fuel prices brought the nations roads to standstill for 11 days and left stores with empty shelves
harsh winter of 1976-7 - a natural gas shortage forced closure of schools and factories. Fuel stations closed on sundays or cut their hours to conserve supplies, and long queues developed at petrol pumps
energy riots occurred in Levittown, Penny when truckers barricaded expressways. - 100 injured and 170 arrested
1977- 165,000 united mine workers began a 3-month strike - the coal shortage led to school closures and shortened work weeks in east USA
1979 - half of the nations petrol stations were without fuel - those that had it were charging 50% more than the year before - drivers queuing for several hours
politicians and the energy crisis
the energy crisis provided pol with an insoluble problem - voters wanted them to act but rejected the obvious option of increased on fuel that would have cut consumption and ended fuel shortages - the inability of ford, carter and congress to solve this problem or others contributed to the growing political disillusion and the feeling that the US was in an unprecedented decline
speech
carter gave a crisis of confidence speech on 15 jul 1979
