- Conservatives thought that the government was spending too much on the wrong programs
- They complained about unfunded mandates, programs required but were not paid for by the government
- they criticized welfare programs and affirmative action
- A group called the sagebrush rebels wanted the government to not control as much land in the west
- Allows the free market, private organizations, and individuals to help the needy
- they want to lower taxes and limit government regulation in order to promote economic growth
- they were concerned with the degeneration of the modern youth
- Another main focus for them was anticommunism
- in the 60s and 70s, conservatism grew and this movement was called The New Right
- The Moral Majority as a religious group working to fulfill religous need
- they were worried about the decline of traditional values
- The Moral Majority favored republicans which boosted their chances of winning (2 million new voters)
- The Vietnam War and protests divided people
- Watergate, the Oil Crisis, and Iran Hostage Crisis weakened the party's appeal
- stagflation and the terrible economy made liberals lose their pull and conservative beliefs became more attractive
- Population Trends
- Since many people struggled financially, there support for the democratic part declined and the favored republicans
- Republicans also attacked busing
- the migration from the rust belt to the sun belt also benefited republicans since now the south became mainly republican
- Reagan started off as an actor but as his career declined he started getting into politics
- he served as the governor of California and also was a supporter of Goldwater
- He opposed Big Government, supported a strong military and traditional values
- Due to Carter's weakness in the Iran Hostage Crisis, Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and bad economy Reagan won the election
- It was a close popular vote but Reagan won 90% of the electoral vote