CONSERVATISM AND THE RISE OF RONALD REAGAN
For many Americans, the eco- nomic, social, and political trends of the previous two decades — crime and racial polarization in many ur- ban centers, challenges to traditional values, the economic downturn and inflation of the Carter years — en- gendered a mood of disillusionment .
It also strengthened a renewed sus- picion of government and its ability to deal effectively with the country’s social and political problems .
Conservatives, long out of power at the national level, were well po- sitioned politically in the context of this new mood . Many Americans were receptive to their message of limited government, strong national defense, and the protection of tradi- tional values .
This conservative upsurge had many sources . A large group of fun- damentalist Christians were partic- ularly concerned about crime and sexual immorality . They hoped to return religion or the moral precepts often associated with it to a central place in American life . One of the most politically effective groups in the early 1980s, the Moral Majority, was led by a Baptist minister, Jerry Falwell . Another, led by the Reverend Pat Robertson, built an organization, the Christian Coalition, that by the 1990s was a significant force in the Republican Party . Using television to spread their messages, Falwell, Rob- ertson, and others like them devel- oped substantial followings .
Another galvanizing issue for conservatives was divisive and emo- tional: abortion . Opposition to the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which upheld a woman’s right to an abortion in the early months of pregnancy, brought together a wide array of organizations and individ- uals . They included, but were not limited to, Catholics, political con- servatives, and religious evan-
gelicals, most of whom regarded abortion under virtually any cir- cumstances as tantamount to mur- der . Pro-choice and pro-life (that is, pro- and anti-abortion rights) dem- onstrations became a fixture of the political landscape .
Within the Republican Party, the conservative wing grew dominant once again . They had briefly seized control of the Republican Party in 1964 with its presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater, then faded from the spotlight . By 1980, however, with the apparent failure of liberalism un- der Carter, a “New Right” was poised to return to dominance .
Using modern direct mail tech- niques as well as the power of mass communications to spread their message and raise funds, drawing on the ideas of conservatives like econ- omist Milton Friedman, journalists William F . Buckley and George Will, and research institutions like the Heritage Foundation, the New Right played a significant role in defining the issues of the 1980s .
The “Old” Goldwater Right had favored strict limits on government intervention in the economy . This tendency was reinforced by a signifi- cant group of “New Right” “liber- tarian conservatives” who distrusted government in general and opposed state interference in personal behav- ior . But the New Right also encom- passed a stronger, often evangelical faction determined to wield state power to encourage its views . The New Right favored tough measures against crime, a strong national de-
CHAPTER 14: THE NEW CONSERVATISM AND A NEW WORLD ORDER
OUTLINE OF U.S. HISTORY
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fense, a constitutional amendment to permit prayer in public schools, and opposition to abortion .
The figure that drew all these disparate strands together was Ron- ald Reagan . Reagan, born in Illi- nois, achieved stardom as an actor in Hollywood movies and television before turning to politics . He first achieved political prominence with a nationwide televised speech in 1964 in support of Barry Goldwater . In 1966 Reagan won the governorship of California and served until 1975 . He narrowly missed winning the Re- publican nomination for president in 1976 before succeeding in 1980 and going on to win the presidency from the incumbent, Jimmy Carter .
President Reagan’s unflagging optimism and his ability to celebrate the achievements and aspirations of the American people persisted throughout his two terms in office . He was a figure of reassurance and stability for many Americans . Whol- ly at ease before the microphone and the television camera, Reagan was called the “Great Communicator .”
Taking a phrase from the 17th- century Puritan John Winthrop, he told the nation that the United States was a “shining city on a hill,” invest- ed with a God-given mission to de- fend the world against the spread of Communist totalitarianism .
Reagan believed that government intruded too deeply into American life . He wanted to cut programs he contended the country did not need, and to eliminate “waste, fraud, and abuse .” Reagan accelerated the
program of deregulation begun by Jimmy Carter . He sought to abol- ish many regulations affecting the consumer, the workplace, and the environment . These, he argued, were inefficient, expensive, and detrimen- tal to economic growth .
Reagan also reflected the belief held by many conservatives that the law should be strictly applied against violators . Shortly after becoming president, he faced a nationwide strike by U .S . air transportation controllers . Although the job action was forbidden by law, such strikes had been widely tolerated in the past . When the air controllers refused to return to work, he ordered them all fired . Over the next few years the system was rebuilt with new hires .