Shift from Democrat to Republican in the South: This shift occurred in the 1960s and 1970s due to the rise of conservative politics.
Types of Conservatism
Libertarians: They advocated for unregulated capitalism and individual autonomy, viewing these as essential to American freedom. Their main target was the regulatory state established by the New Deal, including programs like social security.
Moral Conservatives: They supported rules that enforced traditional family values and morality. They accepted government intervention to maintain virtue.
Common Ground: Both groups opposed communism and the expansion of big government. The federal government had grown significantly since World War I.
Faith in the Free Market: This was a core tenet of young conservatives in the 1960s, influencing the reshaping of the Republican Party.
Presidential Election of 1964
Significance: The election was a major turning point, despite being largely uncompetitive.
Candidates:
Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ): Benefited from succeeding a popular, assassinated president.
Barry Goldwater: A conservative Arizona senator. His nomination was itself a conservative victory, defeating the more liberal Nelson Rockefeller.
Goldwater's Positions:
Cold War: Advocated for a more aggressive stance, even suggesting nuclear war as an option.
New Deal: Criticized the welfare state for undermining individual initiative and liberty.
Goldwater's Downfall:
Extremism: His statement, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice," was used by Johnson to portray him as an extremist.
Campaign Slogans: Johnson's campaign countered Goldwater's slogan with "but in your guts you know he's nuts."
Election Results: LBJ won by a significant margin, with Democrats gaining large majorities in Congress.
Shift in the South: Goldwater carried five of six states in the Deep South, indicating a shift away from the traditionally Democratic "Solid South."
Race and Civil Rights: The Democratic Party, especially under LBJ, became associated with civil rights and ending segregation, which contributed to white southerners leaving the party.
Presidential Election of 1968
Complicated Election: Marked by riots and the unpopular nomination of Hubert Humphrey.
Richard Nixon: He successfully ran for president after a previous loss. His key attributes included:
Patience: Known for his ability to strategize and wait, earning him the nickname "Old Ironbutt."
Anti-Communism: He emphasized anti-communism without focusing on nuclear threats.
California: Benefited from being from California, which was becoming a large and influential state.
Campaign Strategy:
Silent Majority: Nixon appealed to Americans who were not anti-war protesters or supporters of the counterculture.
Law and Order: He promised to be tough on crime, using coded language to appeal to white southerners who favored segregation.
Southern Strategy: Nixon aimed to attract white Democrats who were against civil rights.
Election Results: Nixon won with 43% of the vote, but George Wallace, running on a pro-segregation platform, won 13% of the vote, highlighting significant opposition to civil rights.
Nixon's Presidency
Disappointment for Conservatives: Nixon's domestic policies were often a continuation of LBJ's Great Society programs.
Reasons:
Democratic Congress: Congress remained largely Democratic.
Popularity: Nixon favored popular programs and avoided vetoing new initiatives.
Liberal Programs Under Nixon:
Environmental Movement: The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act were enacted.
Worker Safety: The Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were established.
Supreme Court Appointments:
Warren Burger: Nixon's appointment to replace Earl Warren was expected to be conservative but often disappointed.
Swann versus Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education: The court upheld busing to achieve integration.
Regents of the University of California versus Bakke: The court upheld affirmative action but rejected strict quotas.
Roe versus Wade: This decision, establishing a woman's right to an abortion, galvanized Catholics and evangelical Protestants.
Thought Bubble: Decline in Traditional Values
Alarm: Many Americans felt that traditional family values were declining. They turned to conservative Republicans to reverse this trend.
Concerns:
Sexual Revolution: The success of the sexual revolution, symbolized by Roe v. Wade and increased access to birth control, was alarming.
Divorce Rates: Divorce rates soared, exceeding first-time marriages by 1975.
Birth Rates: Birth rates declined to 1.7 children per woman by 1976, less than half the rate in 1957.
Title IX: Some conservatives opposed the passage of Title IX in 1972, which banned gender discrimination in higher education.
Women in the Workforce: Concerns grew as more women, including those with young children, entered the workforce. By 1980, 40% of women with young children were employed, up from 20% in 1960.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): The defeat of the ERA in 1974 was driven by arguments that it would undermine traditional family roles. Opponents, like Phyllis Schlafly, argued that free enterprise and labor-saving devices were more liberating for women.
Watergate Scandal
Re-election: Nixon was re-elected in 1972, despite his campaign's decision to engage in illegal activities.
The Break-in: In June 1972, members of Nixon's campaign broke into George McGovern's campaign office.
CREEP: The Committee for the Re-election of the President, was involved in the break-in.
Nixon's Paranoia: Nixon was deeply suspicious of his opponents, especially after the leaking of the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg in 1971.
The Plumbers: Nixon created a special investigative unit to stop leaks.
Cover-Up: Nixon's downfall resulted from his efforts to cover up the break-in. He authorized hush money payments and instructed the FBI not to investigate.
Impeachment: In August 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment articles for conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Resignation: Faced with certain impeachment, Nixon resigned, marking the only time an American president has done so.
Mystery Document
The document was a quote from Barbara Jordan, an African American congresswoman from Texas.
Significance: Her success symbolized the political and economic advancements of African Americans and women, which were unsettling to some conservatives.
Conclusion
Conservative Concerns: Conservatives were concerned about the growing role of the federal government and the cultural shifts of the 1970s.
Government Overreach: Scandals like Watergate, the Church Committee investigations, and the Pentagon Papers revealed government abuses of power.
Undermining Liberal Beliefs: These events challenged the liberal view that government could effectively solve problems and promote freedom.
Call to Action: Conservatives believed that the liberal government of the New Deal and Great Society needed to be stopped.