The Revival of Conservatism

Election of 1988: 

Election of 1988 In 1988, Gary Hart tried to get the Democratic nomination but had to drop out due to a sexual misconduct charge while Jesse Jackson assembled a 'rainbow coalition' in hopes of becoming president, but the Democrats finally chose Michael Dukakis, who lost badly to Republican candidate and Reagan’s vice president George Bush, 112 to 426.

George Bush and the End of the Cold War: 

George Bush and the End of the Cold War

China-Tiannamen Square: 

China-Tiannamen Square Bush had been born into a rich family, but he was committed to public service and vowed to sculpt 'a kindler, gentler America.' In 1989, it seemed that Democracy was reviving in previously Communist hot-spots In China, thousands of democratic-seeking students protested in Tiananmen Square but were brutally crushed by Chinese tanks and armed forces.

Russia: 

Russia In 1990, Boris Yeltsin stopped a military coup that tried to dislodge Gorbachev, then took over Russia when the Soviet Union fell and disintegrated into the Commonwealth of Independent States, of which Russia was the largest member, thus ending the Cold War. This shocked experts who had predicted that the Cold War could only end violently. Problems remained, for who would take over the USSR’s nuclear stockpiles or its seat in the UN Security Council (eventually, Russia did).

RussiaEurope: 

Russia Europe For who would take over the USSR’s nuclear stockpiles or its seat in the UN Security Council (eventually, Russia did). In 1993, Bush signed the START II accord with Yeltsin, pledging both nations to reduce their long-range nuclear arsenals by two-thirds within ten years. Trouble was still present when the Chechnya minority in Russia tried to declare independence and was resisted by Russia; that incident hasn’t been resolved yet. Europe found itself quite unstable when the economically weak former communist countries re-integrated with it. America now had no rival to guard against, and it was possible that it would revert back to its isolationist policies; also, military spending had soaked up so much money that upon the end of the Cold War, the Pentagon closed 34 military bases, canceled a $52 billion order for a navy attack plane, and forced scores of Californian defense plants to shut their doors.

South AfricaLatin America: 

South Africa Latin America In 1990, South Africa freed Nelson Mandela, then elected him president four years later Free elections put Chamorro and removed the Sandinistas in Nicaragua in 1990, In 1992, peace came to Ecuador at last with the election of Sixto Bellan.

The Persian Gulf Crisis: 

The Persian Gulf Crisis On August 2, 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded oil-rich Kuwait with 100,000 men, hoping to annex it as a 19th province and use its oil fields to replenish debts incurred during the Iraq-Iran War, a war which oddly saw the U.S. supporting Hussein despite his bad reputation. Saddam attacked swiftly, but the UN responded just as swiftly, placing economic embargoes on the aggressor and preparing for military punishment.

Fighting 'Operation Desert Storm': 

Fighting 'Operation Desert Storm' Some 539,000 U.S. military force members joined 270,000 troops from 28 other countries to attack Iraq in a war, which began on January 12, 1991, when Congress declared it. On January 16, the U.S. and U.N. unleashed a hellish air war against Iraq for 37 days. Iraq responded by launching several ultimately ineffective 'scud' missiles at Saudi Arabia and Israel, but it had far darker strategies available, such as biological and chemical weapons and strong desert fortifications with oil-filled moats that could be lit afire if the enemy got to close. American General Norman Schwarzkopf took nothing for granted, strategizing to suffocate Iraqis with an onslaught of air bombing raids and then rush them with troops. On February 23, 'Operation Desert Storm' began with an overwhelming land attack that lasted four days, saw really little casualties, and ended with Saddam’s surrender. American cheered the war’s rapid end and well-fought duration, relieved that this had not turned into another Vietnam, but Saddam Hussein had failed to be dislodged and was left to menace the world another day. The U.S. found itself even more deeply ensnared in the region’s web of mortal hatreds.

Bush and the Domestic Picture: 

Bush and the Domestic Picture

Disability Act: 

Disability Act President Bush’s 1990 American with Disabilities Act was a landmark law that banned discrimination against citizens with disabilities. Bush also signed major water projects bill in 1992 and agreed to sign a watered-down civil rights bill in 1991. On signing the measure, George H. W. Bush said, 'I know there may have been concerns that the ADA may be too vague or too costly, or may lead endlessly to litigation. But I want to reassure you right now that my administration and the United States Congress have carefully crafted this Act. We've all been determined to ensure that it gives flexibility, particularly in terms of the timetable of implementation; and we've been committed to containing the costs that may be incurred.... Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.'

Clarence Thomas Sexual Harassment: 

Clarence Thomas Sexual Harassment In 1991, Bush proposed Clarence Thomas to fill in the vacant seat left by retiring Thurgood Marshall, but this choice was opposed by the NAACP and the National Organization for Women (NOW), since Thomas was supposedly pro-abortion. In early October 1991, Anita Hill charged Thomas with sexual harassment, and even though Thomas was still selected to be on the Court, Hill’s case publicized sexual harassment and tightened tolerance of it (Oregon’s Senator Robert Packwood had to step down in 1995 after a case of sexual harassment). A gender gap arose between women in both parties. Of the Committee's investigation of the Hill claims, Thomas said: ...as far as I'm concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the US Senate rather than hung from a tree Robert Packwood

The Economy Stalls: 

The Economy Stalls In 1992, the economy stalled, and Bush was forced to break an explicit campaign promise and add $133 billion worth of new taxes to try to curb the $250 billion annual budget. When it was revealed that many House members had written bad checks from a private House 'bank,' public confidence lessened even more.

27th Amendment: 

27th Amendment The 27th Amendment banned congressional pay raises from taking effect until an election had seated a new session of Congress, an idea first proposed by James Madison in 1789. AMENDMENT XXVII Originally proposed Sept. 25, 1789. Ratified May 7, 1992. No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

Bill Clinton: The First Baby-Boomer President: 

Bill Clinton: The First Baby-Boomer President

Election of 1992: 

Election of 1992 In 1992, the Democrats chose Bill Clinton as their candidate (despite accusations of womanizing and draft evasion) and Albert Gore, Jr. as his running mate. The Democrats tried a new approach, promoting growth, strong defense, and anticrime policies while campaigning to stimulate the economy. The Republicans dwelt on 'family values' and selected Bush for another round and J Danforth Quayle as his running mate. Third party candidate Ross Perot added color to the election by getting 19,237,247 votes in the election (no Electoral votes, though), but Clinton won, 370 to 168 in the Electoral College. Democrats also got control of both the House and the Senate. 'It’s the Economy Stupid !'

Minorities and Women in Power: 

Minorities and Women in Power Congress and the presidential cabinet were filled with minorities and more women, including the first female attorney general ever, Janet Reno, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Supreme Court

A False Start for Reform: 

A False Start for Reform Upon entering office, Clinton called for accepting homosexuals in the armed forces but finally had to settle for a 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy that unofficially accepted gays and lesbians. Clinton also appointed his wife, Hillary, to revamp the nation’s health and medical care system, and when it was revealed in October 1993, critics blasted it as cumbersome, confusing, and stupid, thus suddenly making Hillary Rodham Clinton a liability when before, she had been a full, equal political partner of her husband. By 1996, Clinton had shrunk the federal deficit to its lowest level in a decade, and in 1993, he passed a gun-control law called the Brady Bill, named after presidential aide James Brady, who had been wounded in President Reagan’s attempted assassination,. In July, 1994, Clinton persuaded Congress to pass a $30 billion anticrime bill. During the decade, a radical Muslim group bombed the World Trade Center in New York, killing six, a terrorist, 'Sexual orientation will not be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct. The military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct, which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or attempted marriage to someone of the same gender.' — quoted in 'The Pentagon's New Policy Guidelines on Homosexuals in the Military'

Waco and Oklahoma: 

Waco and Oklahoma Timothy McVeigh, had bombed the federal building in Oklahoma in 1995, taking 169 lives, and a fiery standoff at Waco, Texas, between the government and the Branch Davidians ended in a huge fire that killed men, women, and children. By this time, few Americans trusted the government, the reverse of the WWII generation.

The Politics of Distrust: 

The Politics of Distrust In 1994, Newt Gingrich led Republicans on a sweeping attack of Clinton’s liberal failures with a conservative 'Contract with America,' and that year, Republicans won all incumbent seats as well as eight more seats in the Senate and 53 more seats in the House, where Gingrich became the new Speaker of the House. However, the Republicans went too far, imposing federal laws that put new obligations on state and local governments without providing new revenues and forcing Clinton to sign a welfare-reform bill that made deep cuts in welfare grants. Clinton tried to fight back, but gradually, the American public grew tired of Republican conservatism, such as Gingrich’s suggestion of sending children of welfare families to orphanages, and of its incompetence, such as the 1995 shut down of Congress due to a lack of a sufficient budget package.

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA: 

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives. That is why, in this era of official evasion and posturing, we offer instead a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print. This year's election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public's money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family. Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act 'with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right.' To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves. On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government: FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress; SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse; THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third; FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs; FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee; SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public; SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase; EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting. Thereafter, within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, we shall bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny. 1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses. (Bill Text) (Description) 2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including stronger truth-in- sentencing, 'good faith' exclusionary rule exemptions, effective death penalty provisions, and cuts in social spending from this summer's 'crime' bill to fund prison construction and additional law enforcement to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools. (Bill Text) (Description) 3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased AFDC for additional children while on welfare, cut spending for welfare programs, and enact a tough two-years-and-out provision with work requirements to promote individual responsibility. (Bill Text) (Description) 4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society. (Bill Text) (Description) 5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A S500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief. (Bill Text) (Description) 6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops under U.N. command and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world. (Bill Text) (Description) 7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years. (Bill Text) (Description) 8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages. (Bill Text) (Description) 9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: 'Loser pays' laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation. (Bill Text) (Description) 10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators. (Description) Further, we will instruct the House Budget Committee to report to the floor and we will work to enact additional budget savings, beyond the budget cuts specifically included in the legislation described above, to ensure that the Federal budget deficit will be less than it would have been without the enactment of these bills. Respecting the judgment of our fellow citizensas we seek their mandate for reform, we hereby pledge our names to this Contract with America.

1994 Congressional Elections: 

1994 Congressional Elections GOP picked up 54 seats in the House GOP 230 seats Dem 204 seats GOP with two party switches ends up with 54 seats in the Senate GOP 54 seats Dem 46 seats

Election of 1996: 

Election of 1996 In 1996, Clinton ran against Republican Bob Dole and won, 379 to 159, and Ross Perot again finished a sorry third.

Somalia, Haiti, Israel: 

Somalia, Haiti, Israel Clinton sent troops to Somalia (where some were killed), withdrew them, and also meddled in Northern Ireland to no good effect, but after denouncing China’s abuses of human rights and threatening to punish China before he became president, Clinton as president discovered that trade with China was too important to waste over human rights. Clinton committed American troops to NATO to keep the peace in the former Yugoslavia and sent 20,000 troops to return Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power in Haiti. Clinton also presided over historic reconciliation meeting in 1993 between Israel’s Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Yasir Arafat at the White House, but two years later, Rabin was assassinated, thus ending hopes for peace in the Middle East.

A Sea of Troubles: 

A Sea of Troubles The end of the Cold War left the U.S. groping for a diplomatic formula to replace anti-Communism and revealed misconduct by the CIA and the FBI. Political reporter Joe Klein wrote Primary Colors, mirroring some of Clinton’s personal life/womanizing, while Clinton ran into trouble with his failed real estate investment in the Whitewater Land Corporation. In 1993, Vincent Foster, Jr. apparently committed suicide, perhaps overstressed at having to (perhaps immorally) manage Clinton’s legal and financial affairs. As Clinton began his second term, the first by a Democratic president since FDR, he had Republican majorities in both houses of Congress going against him. What would happen next?

NAFTA: 

NAFTA He resolutely supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that made a free-trade zone surrounding Mexico, Canada, and the U.S., then helped form the World Trade Organization, the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and also provided $20 billion to Mexico in 1995 to help its faltering economy.

Bosnia: 

Bosnia The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina came about as a result of the dissolution of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia was first constituted after WWI Clinton Brokered Dayton Peace agreement in 1995

KOSOVO: 

KOSOVO Continuing Serbian repression had radicalized many Albanians, some of whom decided that only armed resistance would effect a change in the situation. On April 22, 1996, four attacks on Serbian civilians and security personnel were carried out virtually simultaneously in several parts of Kosovo. A hitherto unknown organization calling itself the 'Kosovo Liberation Army' (KLA) subsequently claimed responsibility. KLA attacks and Serbian reprisals continued throughout the winter of 1998–1999, culminating on January 15, 1999 with the Racak incident. The incident was immediately (before the investigation) condemned as a massacre by the Western countries and the United Nations Security Council, and later became the basis of one of the charges of war crimes leveled against Milošević and his top officials NATO issued a statement announcing that it was prepared to launch air strikes against Yugoslav targets 'to compel compliance with the demands of the international community and [to achieve] a political settlement'.

Impeachment: 

Impeachment Clinton had been accused of having engaged in an improper sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The Republican Congress considered impeachment and devoted much energy to the process of removal After weeks of testimony, the Senate voted for acquittal

The Changing Nature of Work: 

The Changing Nature of Work Technological advances, primarily in the field of automation, had significant impact on the workplace Less people were needed for production jobs and had to retrain for the growing service industry based on computers Although work became less labor intensive, Americans worked longer hours

Workers in Transition: 

Workers in Transition The trade union movement, always and integral part of American business, faltered as the economy changed to a service-based system Increases in women and young people in the workforce eroded unions even more Farmers were also hurt as growing consolidation meant fewer farms

Union Membership 2007: 

Union Membership 2007 About 12% of Nations workforce Many union members are state workers

The Changing Face of the American People: 

The Changing Face of the American People

The New Pilgrims: 

The New Pilgrims Immigration once again soared in the 1990s Faltering economies in their native countries brought most immigrants to America The scarcity of good jobs and fears of cultural dilution brought increasing resistance from established Americans

Economic and Social Change: 

Economic and Social Change

Boom and Bust: 

Boom and Bust American economic growth during the 1990s was not as remarkable as that during the 1950s was still impressive given the context of economic failures in other countries All economic indicators improved during the decade, with significant growth in the stock market Although the nation enjoyed the economic boom, poverty was still a problem in the U.S.

Aging and Illness: 

Aging and Illness The population of America continued to live longer as the century concluded Potential problems with the solvency of the Social Security program and refusal of many Americans to retire has led to new problems in the national economy Although healthcare improved, devastating diseases such as AIDS and Alzheimer’s disease continued to ravage the population

The Second Bush Presidency: 

The Second Bush Presidency

The Election of 2000: 

The Election of 2000 In a haze of law suits and countersuits, the presidential election of 2000 became the closest and most contested in American history. George Bush, son of the former president, barely defeated Vice President Albert Gore The closeness of the election made Americans examine their methods of presidential election and consider sweeping reforms

No Child Left Behind: 

No Child Left Behind The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB A United States federal law that reauthorizes a number of federal programs that aim to improve the performance of America's primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools

9-11: 

9-11 The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks upon the United States, predominantly targeting civilians, carried out on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda[1][2] hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. Each team of hijackers included a trained pilot. The pilots of two teams crashed two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower, causing both towers to collapse within two hours. The pilot of the third team crashed a plane into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. Passengers and members of the flight crew on the fourth hijacked aircraft attempted to retake control of their plane from the hijackers; that plane crashed into a field in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Approximately 3,000 people died in these attacks.

War on Terror: 

War on Terror Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bush (re)declared a global War on Terrorism and ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban and expel Al-Qaeda.[1] His response to 9/11 led to an immediate surge in his popularity. Following a failed attempt at convincing Saddam Hussein diplomatically to yield to further weapons inspections, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq, although the inspections that were in progress at the time had not yet concluded and the specifically designated Weapons of Mass Destruction that the Coalition of the Willing invaded to capture have never been found. Following the overthrow of Hussein's regime, Bush committed the U.S. to establishing democracy in the Middle East, and specifically in both Afghanistan and Iraq in the short term.

2004 Election: 

2004 Election President Bush focused his campaign on national security, presenting himself as a decisive leader and contrasted Kerry as a 'flip-flopper.' Bush's point was that Americans could trust him to be tough on terrorism while Kerry would be 'uncertain in the face of danger.' One of Kerry's slogans was, 'Stronger at home, respected in the world.' This advanced the suggestion that Kerry would pay more attention to domestic concerns; it also encapsulated Kerry's contention that Bush had alienated American allies by his foreign policy.

Slide45: 

2004 Election Headlines Outreach effort and moral values theme pays off for Bush with Hispanics -- Nov. 3, 2004 [FOX News] Election Reinforces USA’s Religious Schism -- Nov. 4, 2004 [USA Today] 'It's a Victory for People Like Us' Bush Emphasis on Values Drew Ohio Evangelicals -- Nov. 5, 2004 [Washington Post]

Slide46: 

2004 Election Exit Poll Data