Carter-Reagan-Bush: The Bipartisan Consensus

Deepening economic security, environmental deterioration, growing culture of violence, family dissaray
1. These fundamental problems must be completely addressed by both sides
  1. Need bold changes to social and economic structures
    1. When people voted they felt like officials did not care about them
      1. I still feel this way today
Distance between the politicians and people
1. Public largely invisible
  1. By 1990s talk radio had 20 million listeners
    1. Listened to daily tirades from right-wing talk-show hosts with left wing guests uninvited
      1. Still see this today
    2. We think we're listening to "experts" but we really see just ranting against specific groups
Presidency of Carter
1. Tries to recapture the disillusioned citizen
2. Carter's job as president from the point of view of the establishment was to halt the rushing disappointment of the American people with the economic system, and disastrous military ventures abroad
3. Strongest appeal to blacks
  1. also had a populist appeal
    1. he presented himself as an ordinary American farmer
  2. Appointed a black woman as secretary of housing and urban development
    1. Also a black civil rights veteran as UN ambassador
      1. To the public this is a great move
      2. But, how do we know if he really believes this is a good idea or just doing it for public support?
  3. Bitter dissapointment
    1. Opposed federal aid to poor people who needed abortions
      1. Says things are unfair because some rich can afford what poor people can't
4. Deceptive
  1. He always had supported Vietnam war, but presented himself as a sympathizer who had been against war
    1. Therefore appealed to young rebels of the sixties by his promise to cut military budget
  2. Presented himself as a friend of the movement against the war
    1. When Nixon mined Haiphong harbor and resumed bombing of North Vietnam- Carter urged backing and support
      1. Then when elected he declined to give aid to Vietnam for reconstruction
      2. Who can you even trust these days
      3. We caused so much death and destruction so not giving aid is ridiculous
5. Failure
  1. Did not restore faith in the system
    1. Price of food and necessities of life continued to rise
      1. Unemployment remained 6-8%
      2. Young people/blacks had 20-30% unemployment rates
      3. He had an awful presidency
Trilateral Commission report
1. Harvard poltical scientist- Samuel Huntington
  1. Interesting to see he is in contact with scholars
Carter's "team"
1. Cabinet appointees has strong corporate connections
  1. Is this really a positive?
2. Carter and his team initiated more sophisticated policies toward governments that oppressed their own people
  1. Used United Nations ambassador Andrew Young to build up good will for the United States
    1. Did this and urged South Africa liberalize its policies toward blacks
      1. A peaceful settlement in South Africa was used for radar tracking systems
      2. This was a strategic move with ulterior motives
      3. United States needed stable government
      4. May continue oppression of blacks which would create civil war
How to handle other countries
1. Approach of combining practical strategic needs with the advancement of civil rights
  1. The chief motivation was not humanity
    1. Tendency towards token changes
    2. Carter urges congressman to defeat the amendment of loans to countries that systematically violated essential rights
    3. Under Carter, US continued to support regimes that engaged in imprisonment of dissenters, torture, and mass murder
      1. Included countries like Philipinnes, Iran, Nicaragua, and Indonesia
      2. This isn't right, especially if we know this is going on and we don't stop it
2. We somehow cultivated a reputation for being generous with its riches
  1. Depended on political loyalty
    1. 100,000 Africans died of starvation, but Agency for International Developent failed to give aids
      1. Excuse- those countries had no historical, economic, or political ties to US
    2. Henry Kissinger formally initiated a policy of selecting cutbacks in American aid to those nations that have sided against the US in votes in the United Nations
      1. Could mean food or humanitarian
      2. We all are humans even if we have differing political ideologies
    3. Carter administration promised to end the sale of arms to repressive regimes
      1. But the bulk of sales continued
      2. This endangers so many people
Pentagon Papers= establishment intention
1. Future generations see the war not as it appeared
  1. Trying to make civilian attacks for military and economic interests merely an unfortunate error
    1. Carter administration trying to end disillusionment of the American people after the Vietnam war by following foreign policies more palatable
Panama Canal
1. Canal saved American companies 1.5 billion a year in delivery costs
  1. US collected 150 million in tolls which it paid the Panama govt 2.3 million while maintaining fourteen military bases in the area
    1. There are always economic motives
2. Military importance
  1. Lost a lot of it in 1977
    1. Could not accommodate large tankers or aircraft carriers
    2. Lot of anti-American sentiment
3. New treaty
  1. Called for gradual removal of US bases
    1. Legal ownership would be turned over to Pnama
  2. Vague language for US to still have ability to intervene
    1. This isn't fair
Corporations
1. About three hundred US corporations earned 40% of their net profits outside of the US
  1. Called multinationals
    1. Constituted third largest economy in the world
2. Exploited the poorer countries
  1. Places with natural wealth became victims of more powerful nations whose power came from that seized wealth
  2. American corporations depended on the poorer countries for diamonds, coffee, platnium, mercury, natural rubber, and cobalt
    1. We use nations for what we need, because we no one is stopping us
Foreign policy
1. Training of foreign military officers
  1. Army had a School of the Americas
    1. Thousands of military leaders in Latin America had graduated
      1. I feel like this could become dangerous if these people turn against us
"Populism"
1. Not visible in his administrations relationship to the oil and gas interests
  1. His energy plan was to end price regulation of natural gas for the consumer
    1. Largest producer was exxon corporation owned by Rockefeller family
    2. Gulf lied to consumers when they really overstated millions of dollars
      1. You can't trust big companies
Poor
1. Carter weakly proposed benefits for the poor
  1. Congress strongly turned them down
    1. But Carter did approve tax reforms which in reality benefited mainly the corporations
      1. These corporations saw sharp increases in profits
2. While poor suffering, Exxon Oil chairman's salary raised to 830k a year
  1. Same time small, independent gasoline stations went out of business
    1. They just can't compete with these larger companies
Congress in 1977
1. Blunt in saying a number of countries with deplorable records of human rights observance are also countries where we have important security and foreign policy interests
  1. Carter wants money to fight off peasant rebellion in El Salvador
    1. Many prisons tortured and killed
  2. Nicaragua
    1. Somoza dictatorship- continued support of this regime until its fall in 1979
  3. Iran
    1. Long years of resentment towards Shah regime
      1. Their troops did massacres against innocent people
      2. The US embassy in Tehran was taken over by student militants demanding the Shah be returned to Iran for punishment
    2. Carter ordered Immigration and Naturalization Service to start deportation proceedings against Iranian students who lacked valid visas
      1. Bumper sticker of "bomb Iran" became popular
Reagan victory over Carter
1. Cutting benefits to poor, lower tax for wealthy, increase military budget, conservative judges
2. By 1991- Reagan/Bush transformed federal judiciary into a predominantly conservative institution
  1. In the 70s liberal judges declared death penalties unconstitutional
    1. However William Rehnquist -chief justice named by Reagan changed this
      1. Brings back death penalty, prevented doctors in federally supported clinics to perform abortion
3. Corporate world
  1. Greatest beneficiary of the Reagan-Bush years
    1. Scary to think this is what was important
4. Reagan proposed to replace tough enforcement of environmental laws by a voluntary approach
  1. OHSA- Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
    1. Reagan appointed himself a big role in this
      1. The environment is so important so economic interests should not come ahead of it
5. Budget cuts= deep human consequences
  1. Social security disability benefits were terminated for 350 k people
    1. Man injured in the oil field was forced to go back to work
      1. This is just cruel and inhumane
  2. Unemployment grew
    1. 30 million people unemployed in the year 1982
      1. Result= lost medical insurance
      2. Infant death rates begin to rise
      3. Children entered ranks of being poor
6. Lowered the tax rate on very rich
  1. progressive income- rich paid higher rates - this ideal was dead
    1. Middle class really suffers the most
7. Gap between rich and poor grew tremendously
  1. CEO's made 40x more than average worker
    1. And they get tax breaks..
      1. This logic baffles me
  2. Heavy losses for Hispanics, blacks, women, and young
    1. Blacks really got hit hard
      1. At least 1/3 of African American families fell below official poverty level
      2. Life expectancy of blacks remained lower than whites/mortality rates higher
      3. Leads to poverty, crime, family violence, jail
      4. 42% of blacks from ages 18-35 in jail, probation, or parole
      5. This is way too high
  3. Not equal funding for schools
    1. Low income areas had poor qualities
8. Star Wars
  1. Billions spent to "build a shield in space to stop enemy nuclear missiles in midair"
    1. First three of these tests had failed
      1. A fourth one did too and secretary of defense approved faking results to show the test had succeeded
9. Secrecy of US actions in Nicaragua
  1. American public opinion against military involvement there
    1. We secretly put missiles in place to blow up ships
      1. When info leaked, US stated not mining the harbors
      2. This is a deliberate lie
10. Lies
  1. Lied to public about giving Iran weapons, we didn't condone shipments by 3rd parties, weapons not traded for dialogue
    1. It's so scary to see we had these interactions with Iran
11. Iran-contra affair
  1. Perfect example of double line of defense
    1. First is to deny
      1. Second if exposed, investigate, but not get to heart of the matter
      2. This is 100% happening today
      3. Bill Breeden only person to be imprisoned as a result of the Iran-contra affair
      4. Gov't violate its own laws to get ahead
      5. Yet not caught or in trouble
12. Sends US forces to invade island of Grenada
  1. Congress notified but not consulted
    1. Ignores requirements of War Powers Act
      1. So many power hungry leaders
13. Increase in military aid to El Salvador
  1. No progress of human rights there
    1. We should be embarassed we are giving so much money
14. Libya
  1. Khadafi
    1. He was responsible for various acts of terrorism over the years, but no real evidence in this case was to blame
      1. Reagan determined to make a point so planes sent over and bombed a crowded city
      2. This is a serious issue
      3. We cannot drop bombs and kill innocent people
George Bush
1. Presented himself as the environmental president
  1. Signed Clean Air act of 1990
    1. But 2 years after it was passed it was seriously weakend by a new rule of the Environmental Protection Agency
      1. This allowed manufacturers to increase 245 tons a year hazardous pollutants in the atmosphere
      2. This just makes no logical sense
  2. EPA received 80,000 complaints of contaminated drinking water
    1. Only 1 in a 100 were investigated
      1. This is a matter of disease, life, and death- shouldn't it be taken seriously?
  3. Natural Resources Defense Council
    1. Reported there were 250k violations of Safe water drinking act
      1. This is simply unacceptable
      2. Business concerns overrides public safety
      3. Should be the reverse
  4. Government scientist prepared testimony on dangerous effects of industrial uses of coal and other fossil fuels in contributing to global warming
    1. Depletion of earth's ozone layer
      1. White House changed the testimony
      2. Did this to appear less serious
2. Reagan/Bush military
  1. Preservation of huge military establishment/retention of profit levels of oil corporations
    1. Sharpest rise of capital investment took place when corporate taxes were slightly higher than they had been the preceeding five years
  2. Increase in special aggressiveness in use of military force abroad
    1. Done by directly invading or overt/covert support of right wing tyrannies that cooperated with the US
3. Gorbachev
  1. Mass demonstrations in Soviet Union and countries of Eastern Europe
    1. Wall was dismantled and symbolized freeing of control over these people
      1. Of course we claim that we aided in this
  2. Our policy in US is dictated by fear of revolution in various parts of the world
    1. Fear of independent nationalism
      1. This would stop our destructive, senseless path over other nations
4. Military budget remained huge
  1. Started two wars
    1. Iraq
      1. Gulf war against Iraq
      2. Opportunity to get oil in Kuwait
      3. Offensive force of military in Iraq
      4. Desire= mideast oil
      5. These motives not presented to the public
      6. Told US wanted to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control
      7. This justification seems legitimate
      8. US launches war when Hussein defied an ultimatum to leave Kuwait
      9. Confidence in smart bombs
      10. Yet these bombs were dropped on wrong targets, etc.
      11. Media acts like it is working for government
      12. They reported live from these war scenes
      13. Human consequences are horrendous
      14. Starvation, disease, death of innocent children
      15. This is not okay
      16. Anti-arab racism
      17. portrayed as vicious and worhtless
      18. in the US certain arabs were insulted or beaten
    2. Panama
      1. Convenient target for an administration which wanted to prove that the US was still powerful in the Caribbean
      2. Re-establish strong influence over Panama
      3. This operation was too small to accomplish what they truly wanted: Overcome American public's abhorrence of foreign military interventions
Ecological crisis
1. Pope John Paul II
  1. Rebuke the wealthy classes of the industrialized nations for creating that crisis
2. International conferences on global warming
  1. European community and Japan proposed specific levels and timetables for carbon dioxide emissions
    1. US was leading culprit of this
      1. If we cut back it would hurt or economy
      2. We need to plan for the future, not just the present
3. Evidence became stronger in late 80s that renewable energy sources could produce more usable energy than nuclear plants, which were dangerous and expensive
  1. With this said, Bush and Reagan administrations made deep cuts into research on renewable energy
    1. How could we continue to not live sustainably despite all the evidence?
Welfare
1. Single mothers with children, food stamps, health care through medicaid
  1. These people's lives depended on what they received on welfare
2. Democrats often joined Republicans in denouncing welfare programs
  1. This was done to gain support from middle-class families
    1. Some people's view is we are supporting teenage mothers, those too lazy to work, etc.
      1. I always held this view
  2. Both parties trying to manufacture an anti-human-needs mood by constant derogatory use of the word welfare
    1. Claim it's a reaction to public opinion
3. 80's= triumph for uooer America
  1. Political ascendancy of the rich, glorification of capitalism, free markets, and finance
1984
1. CIA admitted it exaggerated Soviet military expenditures
  1. This deception lead to inflating military expenditures