Presidents since 1970 Domestic and Foreign Affairs

Presidents since 1970 Domestic and Foreign Affairs

Richard Nixon - Foreign End Vietnam War – Nixon Doctrine – no more US aid to Asia Visit to China 1972 – Ping Pong Diplomacy with Mao Zedong – Opened up trade & hurt the Chinese. Soviet relationship

Richard Nixon - Foreign Détente with USSR – “easing the tension” from the Cold War – SALT talks (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty)

Richard Nixon - Domestic OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Admin. to ensure safe and healthy working conditions. EPA – Environmental Protection Agency to combat pollution & protect the environment DEA – Drug Enforcement Agency Hangin’ with Elvis – He’s just so cool!

Richard Nixon - Domestic Curb Inflation – 90 day wage-price freeze Appoint Warren Burger to Supreme Court – Judicial Restraint after Warren Court – Exception: Roe vs. Wade

Richard Nixon - Domestic 1969 – Neil Armstrong lands on the moon 1971 – 26 th amendment is passes giving 18 year olds the right to vote Nader’s Raiders got started

Richard Nixon - Domestic Watergate Affair in the 1972 Election – CREEP broke into the Dem. headquarters to tap phones. – “burglars’ got caught and then Nixon covered it up. – tapes were discovered (US vs. Nixon) proving Nixon’s involvement.

Richard Nixon - Domestic Nixon resigns as impeachment and conviction loom. Gerald Ford becomes President – He pardons Nixon. The Constitution works! – Checks and Balances All scandals are now called “. . …gate”

Gerald Ford 1 st President never elected.

Gerald Ford - Domestic Pardons Nixon Amnesty Plan for Vietnam War draft dodgers Rationing of gas after OPEC Oil Embargo – terrible recession

Gerald Ford - Foreign End resentment over the Yom Kippur War to end the OPEC Oil Embargo… Continues détente with USSR – Sale of grain and hookup of space capsules Overseas the end of the Vietnam War – Last Americans leave Saigon in 1975

Jimmy Carter - Domestic Won the bicentennial year election due to his sense of honesty and integrity. He was a political outsider (governor of Georgia). Because of Nixon, every move he made was questioned by Congress.

Jimmy Carter - Domestic Stagflation – High unemployment + high inflation Energy Crisis – OPEC embargo was over, but prices stayed high. Corporate Bailouts – Chrysler and Lockheed Aircraft faced bankruptcy (more unemployment). – Carter gave gov’t loans to save them.

Jimmy Carter - Domestic Environmental Problems – Acid Rain – Pollution – Emission standards for cars Nuclear Energy – 3 Mile Island in PA

Jimmy Carter - Foreign Sadat Camp David Accords 1977 – Carter got Egypt(Sadat) and Israel(Begin) together to discuss peace in the Middle East. – Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. – Still, many Arab nations refused to recognize Isreal and it remained troubled area (Sadat was assassinated when he returned to Egypt). Carter Begin

Jimmy Carter - Foreign Panama Canal Treaty 1977 – Carter agreed to return the Panama Canal zone back to Panama Remember how Teddy gained the Canal Zone? – Senate narrowly approved of the Treaty Checks and Balances – Senate must approve all treaties – Carter took a lot of heat for the loss of American power.

Jimmy Carter - Foreign Trouble with Détente – Carter tried SALT II – But the USSR invaded Afghanistan and Carter: Broke off SALT talks Stopped shipping grain (Ford’s détente) Boycotted the 1980 Olympics Gave aid to Afghans like Osama Bin Laden – No “easing of tensions” after all.

Jimmy Carter - Foreign Iran Hostage Crisis 1979 – Iranian Revolution overthrew the pro. American Shah Ayatollah Khomeini took power and hated the US – As the Shah fled for his life, Carter agreed to give him medical asylum in the US Islamic rebels responded by taking 52 Americans hostage from the US Embassy in Teheran.

Jimmy Carter - Foreign Carter gave an open invitation/political asylum to any Cuban communist who wanted to come to the US. Castro emptied his prisons and insane asylums and sent them to Miami. – 1980’s TV show: Miami Vice – Al Pacino in “Scarface” “Say hello to my little friend. ”

1980 Election Revival of the Right (remember Ike in 1952? ) – With the Iran Hostage Crisis, stagflation, and energy crisis – Carter didn’t have a chance. – Reagan said: “Gov’t is not the solution to our problems, gov’t is the problem. ” – Hostages were released on his Inauguration day.

Ronald Reagan – Domestic 1 st Term A former actor, he was the “Great Communicator. ” New Federalism – returning power to the states and reduce federal programs (i. e. : social welfare). – Making them state responsibilities.

Ronald Reagan – Domestic 1 st Term – Supply side economics AKA: Reaganomics Cut taxes to the rich so they could reinvest their money in businesses. The businesses would expand, hire more workers, and increase the supply of goods and services. Sound like Hoover’s Trickle Down Theory during the Great Depression?

Ronald Reagan – Domestic 1 st Term He believed that our national security depended on military defense. SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) – AKA: Star Wars – a massive satellite designed to intercept and destroy any Soviet missiles.

Political Cartoon on Star Wars

Political Cartoon on Star Wars

Ronald Reagan – Domestic 1 st Term Farm Aid – Farmers in the 1980’s had it almost as bad as the farmers during the Great Depression. – Reagan paid them subsidies NOT to grow crops. Remember AAA? – It did not work. The National Debt grew.

Ronald Reagan – Domestic 1 st Term Immigration Reform and Control Act -1986 – To cut down on illegal immigrants in the US. – Made it illegal for Americans to hire illegal immigrants. – Didn’t do a lot. – Still an issue today.

Ronald Reagan – Foreign 1 st Term He questioned détente after USSR cracked down on the Polish Labor Union – Solidarity (Lech Walesa). Reagan Doctrine – Containment in Latin America El Salvador, Nicaragua, Grenada – Just like the Truman & Eisenhower Doctrines

Ronald Reagan – Foreign 1 st Term Growing concerns about Terrorism: – 300+ US Marines killed in Lebanon – More turmoil in the Middle East “jihad” became a household term

1984 Election Democrats run Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro (1 st woman to run as VP). Reagan asks Americans “are you better off now than you were 4 years ago? ” Most voters said “yes” and Reagan landslides into a 2 nd term – 1 st President since Ike to serve 2 full terms.

Ronald Reagan – Domestic 2 nd Term He continued deep cuts in social welfare programs. – Exception: Social Security and Defense Cut taxes for 60% of Americans. – Gap was huge between the rich and poor. Huge trade deficit and National Debt.

Ronald Reagan – Foreign 2 nd Term Iran-Contra Affair – 1986 – US officials (Oliver North & CIA) sold weapons to Iran in exchange for Iranian help in freeing US hostages in Lebanon. – The money went to Nicaraguan rebels (Contras) who were trying to overthrow communism there (Reagan Doctrine). Congress had banned this aid. – Became known as Iran-Contragate.

Ronald Reagan – Foreign 2 nd Term Renewal of Détente – New USSR leader, Gorbachev, brought some openness (glasnost) and free enterprise (perestroika) to the USSR to improve their poor economy. – Reagan welcomed the reforms. He and Gorby reduced short and medium ranged missiles.

Ronald Reagan – Foreign 2 nd Term More terrorism – Achille Lauro, Pan Am 103 Drug trade – First Lady Nancy Reagan: “Just say no!” Apartheid – Americans called for divestiture in South Africa to end it. – Congress overrode Reagan’s veto and put economic sanctions on South Africa until apartheid finally ended.

1988 - Reagan leaves the office to George H. Bush

George Bush – Domestic Although he said “no new taxes” the budget deficit forced him to break that promise. S&L scandals (Savings and Loan) had to be bailed out by Bush/taxpayers. Appointed Clarence Thomas to replace Thurgood Marshall. – Became the 2 nd African American on the Court Urban violence in South Central LA. – Rodney King riots

George Bush – Foreign End of the Cold War 1989 – Berlin Wall came down East and West Germany were reunited. – USSR collapsed Invasion of Panama – The War on Drugs led Bush to capture the Panamanian ruler, Manuel Noriega.

George Bush – Foreign Oil wells on fire Persian Gulf War 1991 Patriot Missile – Saddam Hussein (Iraq) invaded Kuwait. – UN authorized Operation Desert Shield to build up forces in Saudi Arabia – Desert Shield became Desert Storm as over 500, 000 US troops liberated Kuwait.

1992 Election Economy wasn’t doing well. – Blame Bush? Yep! 3 rd party candidate: Ross Perot earned 19 million votes. – No electoral votes – But prevented Bush from being reelected. Winner: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton - Domestic Heath Care Reform – He wanted universal health care (Democrats dream). – Congress (Rep) rejected it. Social Security – Aging baby boomers were straining the system. – SS became and is still an issue today. Supreme Court Appointees – Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Steven Breyer. – 1 st Democratic President in 26 years to name a justice. Brady Bill – gun control – 5 day wait Family Leave Bill Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - military

Bill Clinton - Domestic Scandal – Whitewater-gate – Perjury – Lewinsky-gate Impeachment – House voted to impeach him. Obstruction of Justice and Perjury – Senate voted not guilty (politics vs. principle). Economic Prosperity – From Reaganomics?

Bill Clinton - Foreign Middle East Peace – Israel (Rabin) and PLO (Arafat) met Camp David? Former Yugoslavia – Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo – genocide NATO expansion – New members: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary South Africa – Nelson Mandela-1 st democratically elected president. Global Economy – NAFTA – European Union

2000 Election Clinton’s VP Al Gore vs. George W. Bush. – Gore won Popular Vote – Bush won Electoral Vote – 4 th time in US history that the popular vote winner lost the election. 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 Hanging chads in Florida forced the Supreme Court to intervene. Winner: Dubya

George W. Bush – Domestic Cutting Taxes – $300 rebates to jumpstart the economy Educational Reform – NCLB (No child left behind) Social Security – Changing where our retirement $ goes? – Lots of Baby Boomers living longer.

George W. Bush – Foreign September 11 th – Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center in NYC and Pentagon in DC – War on Terror begins: We went into Afghanistan looking for Osama bin Laden.

George W. Bush – Foreign War in Iraq – Looking for WMD’s (Weapons of Mass Destruction) Bush invaded Iraq. – WMD’s were never found, but Saddam Hussein was removed from power and put to death. – Still controversy over us being there today. Grass roots movement to remove our troops.