Of the last 7 democratic nominees for president, who was the most

[skipos]

Poll question: Of the last 7 democratic nominees for president, who was the most

left (overall) on the political spectrum?

[seattlemetal]

1. what about Kucinich?

[SaveElmer]

2. Kucinich wasn't nominated...nt

[seattlemetal]

3. oh thats right, sorry, 'tard moment!

[LWolf]

62. A shame, imo. n/t

[blm]

4. Uh...People... Carter was the most conservative Dem who

ran for president. Don't people realize by now that Kennedy ran against Carter in 1980 BECAUSE he was governing too conservatively?

Carter didn't become more progressive till AFTER he left office.

Please get a grip on history.

[flaminbats]

12. here is my ranking..

the most liberal of these 7 were McGovern, Dukakis, and Mondale

the most conservative of these 7 were Clinton, Kerry, and Gore

IMO..Carter was somewhere in the middle.

[blm]

15. Not in my history book.

I wonder just how well people know REAL history anymore.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. Carter governed at a very different time

When you say that Carter was conservative, the question is on what exactly. Social issues did not even exist back then as we know them today. Carter pushed for a populist economic agenda that didn't get through congress. And if you look at his foreign policy, his decision not to start dropping bombs on Iran was probably one of the most progressive foreign policy moves of the cold war. He also asked the American people to SACRIFICE during the oil crisis which is incredibly progressive.

I know that Carter was more conservative than Ted Kennedy and maybe by 1970's standards he was a conservative but I don't see how by today's standards he would be anything but liberal.

[guidod]

38. I agree with you.

I think Carter was a mis-understood President. The republicans really beat up on him unfairly. To me, Clinton was the most consevative of the bunch. Kerry is very liberal but is terrible at counter punching.

[flaminbats]

41. thank god!! Somebody agrees with me...lol not!

I was beginning to feel a little teleisolated. :hug:

I agree with you that Kerry isn't great at counter punching, but he was much better than Dukakis or Mondale!

[guidod]

51. Those two clowns were an embarrassment.

Good luck at school!

[flaminbats]

56. who needs luck when they can earn a college degree?

Mondale and Dukakis wrote the book on how not to run for President.

[guidod]

58. OK. let me rearrange those words a bit...

...congratulations about earning your college degree, I'm sure luck was never a factor. LOL No matter how you got it, I create a lot of happiness for myself when I see others doing well for themselves. I meant it when I said, "conratulations!

[Art_from_Ark]

39. Carter was pretty progressive in things like the environment

For example, under his energy program you could set up a wind-based electrical generator and sell your excess power to the power grid. He also set aside huge tracts of unspoiled acreage in Alaska and elsewhere.

In other areas, he promoted human rights as foreign policy (though not always effectively), and he was a big proponent of women's rights, including the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment:

"ERA supporters were delighted to see the extent to which President Jimmy Carter got involved as president-elect in the struggle for passage during the December session of the 79th General Assembly. They were disillusioned, however, at the minimal effect he had. Carter not only sent a member of his family to lobby for passage, but he and his staff also made at least eight calls to key senators and Mayor Daley. But those who were contacted were not swayed and the Senate turned down the measure 29 to 22, which was 7 votes short of the 36 needed for the three-fifths majority required by Senate rules."

http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1977/ii770322.html

And while he was deeply religious, he didn't impose his religion on others.

[Josh]

50. Sort of. He did refuse to have relations with any country that was a

human rights violater - perhaps the only president ever to do that.

[blm]

63. That was his best area, imo.

And that one effort did more to shame the USSR at the time than anything Reagan did afterwards.

[MADem]

5. George McGovern has an unearned reputation as a screaming lefty

...but in actual fact, he was a moderate on defense issues. Remember, he flew 35 B-24 combat missions in the Army Air Corps during WW2. He knew what just war was, and he knew what unnecessary war was. The right managed to paint him as a total peacenik who would give away the store, but that was a false impression. Many people voting for him (or against him, for that matter) did not even realize what a distinguished military record he had, and he didn't play it up.

[BlakeB]

6. I've met Ambassador McGovern...

he's a great man, and still a great speaker after all these years.

[existentialist]

11. self-delete

[blm]

19. The GOP used his modesty against him, branding him as a far left peacenik

to avoid having to deal with his actual heroism and moderate record. He did have some liberal leanings, but nothing to the degree the GOP pushed.

[yurbud]

7. what is the point of the poll? To prove supposed furthest left is biggest

loser?

Part of McGovern's problem is that he did come across as a nice guy, and we needed, and need, someone who comes across like Howard Dean--willing to butt heads and not back down.

The so-called centrists are trying so hard to be business-friendly that they sound indistinguishable from the GOP on economic issues. If that's the case, people will vote for the genuine article, not a pathetic imitation.

For a centrist to win, they would have to do with some big business interest what Clinton did with Sista Soljah--give them a public b*tch slapping. That would prove they have the cajones to look out for the rest of us and not fold like Dems in Congress have done for the last five years.

[skipos]

8. Extrapolate much?

The point of the poll was to see who DUers regard as the most left. I wasn't alive during many of these elections, and the history books don't exactly spend a lot of time on the candidates who don't win elections.

[karynnj]

9. It's a pretty complicated assesment

The country as a whole moved left on some social issues over this time. In 1972, women were just beginning to benefit from large companies hiring them in management type positions out of college and gays were far, far more in the closet. In 2004, the question (for Democratic candidates) was gay marriage vs civil unions. Even talking of these things in a campaign publicly in 1972 would have been unthinkable.

But, in 1972, the country had recently passed the Great Society bills, such as medicare. Food stamps were pretty recent. The EPA had recently been formed. Some Nixon administration people backed the idea of a negative income tax to replace welfare. In these ways the society was more liberal than now and it seemed like that was the direction we were going in. Now, the country is more conservative on these issues.

Carter, Clinton, Gore, and Dukakis can be ruled out as most liberal. It is very difficult to rank the remaining 3. On social issues they all three were liberal - where Kerry is probably the most consistently liberal. The RW said McGovern was for acid, amnesty and abortion - and used his basic honesty against him. On economic issues, Kerry is more fiscally conservative than the other 2. So, I'm at a lost to score it.

[flaminbats]

10. who thinks Gore, Clinton, or even Kerry were more liberal than Dukakis?

Dukakis opposed the death penalty...Clinton,Carter, and Gore supported it. Dukakis supported national healthcare...Gore and Kerry didn't! Gore and Kerry supported taxcuts..Dukakis didn't! Bill Clinton left our government with a budget surplus..yet he is more liberal than Dukakis?

huh??? Mondale or even McGovern might be as liberal..but Carter, Clinton, Gore, or Kerry? :shrug:

[blm]

16. Where did you get this set of facts?

.

[sandnsea]

18. Here's his 1988 brochure

Dukakis ran on a balanced budget and cutting taxes, while lowering unemployment and helping welfare mothers become trained for good jobs. I don't see anything about national healthcare in here, and I don't remember it either. Clinton is the one who promised us national healthcare in 1992. And I do not even know where you think Kerry doesn't support national healthcare when his plan was to open up the federal plan to everybody.

http://www.4president.org/brochures/dukakis1988brochure.htm

[flaminbats]

31. IMO opening the federal workers health plan isn't universal healthcare..

Buying into Kerry's plan would have been voluntary..but participation in Clinton or Carter's plans would have been required. The Dukakis healthcare plan is kind of vague...but thanks for the link!

you're helping to make my main point, the less detail there is in a candidate's agenda..the easier it is for Republicans to shape the voters' image of that candidate. My point is that it is up for debate whether Dukakis, McGovern, or Mondale were most liberal..but Clinton, Gore, and Carter did a good enough job of spelling out an agenda that they were not easily defined by their opponents.

[sandnsea]

32. Gore?

Not easily defined?? So you think Gore really is a liar then? Actually, the less detail there is in a candidate's agenda, the easier it is for them to create whatever image they want and the harder for the opposition to label them. But Democrats have to have that laundry list.

And yes Kerry's plan was voluntary, because Americans have repeatedly balked at any mandatory plan. But it is still the simplest national health care plan we've ever been offered.

[flaminbats]

36. simple isn't necessarily liberal...

and no..I don't think Gore is a liar! I think all humans lie to some extent, but why heap this all on one person?

I remember Gore's healthcare plan. If you were 55 or older you could buy into Medicare, but what if you where younger than 55..and uninsured?..His plan didn't do very much for you!

I don't view Gore as more liberal than Dukakis, in the 1988 primaries Gore definitely ran to the right of Dukakis..while Jackson ran to the left of Dukakis. Gore won the popular vote and almost won the electoral college in 2000. That was because Bush wasn't able to redefine him thanks to his detailed agenda. But if Gore had supported universal coverage, attacked Bush for supporting segregated health insurance, and pledged to use the budget surplus to pay off the debt instead of backing tax cuts..I believe he would be President today!

[sandnsea]

37. Okeedoke

If it all works out that way in your world, okay then. Makes no sense to me that one would say Gore didn't get labeled by Bush, or almost anything else you've said about Gore or anybody else. But whatever floats your boat.

[flaminbats]

40. sure...float all you wish

but if Gore was labeled by Bush, what was the label? It didn't stick very well!!

Most of those I know who voted against Gore somehow blamed him for Monica Lewinski and Whitewater, most I know who supported Gore saw him as the more qualified of the two candidates. Conservative and liberal politics didn't factor much into the 2000 election. But please don't forget that Gore won half a million more votes than Bush. So I don't view Bush's campaign as successful and bush did kinda miserable for an incumbent Republican in 2004!

But if you see that as only fantasy, dream away dude..:smoke:

[ThomCat]

13. Basically in order from the bottom upward

on that list. McGovern was the most left, and Kerry was the least.

[blm]

17. By what stretch of the imagination or what history book?

.

[ThomCat]

20. Other than just attacking what people post

do you have anything to add?

[blm]

21. Just hard to imagine how you came to the conclusion that Kerry is least

liberal in the group.

he was the FIRST senator ever to submit gay-friendly legislation.

He uncovered more government corruption than any lawmaker in modern history. IranContra, BCCi, CIA drugrunning.

He advocated for public financing of campaigns since 1985.

He advocated for gays to serve openly in the military.

He advocated for released felons voting rights.

He crafted the Hate Crimes bill and the SCHIP healthcare bill for children (lost naming rights when Hatch signed on)

Steadfast against the death penalty.

For legalizing medical marijuana and for decriminalizing possession of marijuana.

And that's just a fraction.

[ThomCat]

24. He supports the whole globalization package

and all the harm that comes with it. He doesn't seem to be stong on the Environment, increasing international aid, or controlling the pentagon. He has not supported unconditial cancellation of 3rd world debts (that I've been able to find anywhere). He stated support for a lot of positions in the last election that he didn't defend very strongly, and someone who is a liberal only on paper isn't that strong a liberal.

I didn't realize he supported some of those positions, so I conceed that maybe he is more liberal that I thought (I'll keep an open mind). But I still don't think he's one of the most liberals. If he is, then he's remarkably invisible about it.

[blm]

26. He helped craft Kyoto for 10 yrs. with other world leaders.

He was the best environmentalist who ever ran.

The problem is that GOP friendly corporations bought control of the broadcast media in the 80s and 90s and both Gore and Kerry went unheralded and uncovered for the most part.

For example - Clinton in 92 had 9hrs of network time to define himself at the Dem convention. Kerry was given 3hrs and 1 of those hrs the networks gave to Clinton.

This article might give you another glimpse of Kerry that the corporate media wouldn't cover.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040315/corn

[skipos]

29. "Kerry doesn't seem to be strong on the environment"

Well, he must have fooled some environmentalists. Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Earth, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, and others endorsed him. If I remember correctly, some of them endorsed him before it was clear he was going to be the nominee.

[sandnsea]

33. What do you read?

Just flabbergasted. Seriously, what do you read to come up with those statements. And what were you doing during the election? Please tell me you spent the summer in Europe or something.

[Mass]

23. Very weird

Kerry and Gore to the right of Carter and Clinton?

Carter to the left of Dukakis and Mondale?

I can see people debate who between Dukakis and Kerry more to the left, and I think that McGovern is to the left of them all, though I was still a child then, but for the rest, you are way off base IMHO.

[ThomCat]

25. Clinton and Gore would be an exception.

Gore seems to be to the left of Clinton.

[sandnsea]

14. McGovern or Kerry

Not sure which for sure. I remember McGovern's $1,000 for every American proposal, to help people in poverty or something. Pretty far left. Then again, Kerry's early work for women lawyers, rape victim's assistance and gay rights legislation; and then the SCHIP program are pretty good too.

[Lefty48197]

22. Fritz Mondale, You'll ALWAYS get my vote

I don't care what the issue is either!

[NJ Democrats]

27. McGovern by far is the most liberal

[Douglas Carpenter]

28. God Bless George McGovern - He was right. He was right from the start

granted the election didn't turn out very well for our cause. but Barry Goldwater's campaign didn't turn out in the short run for the cause of our enemy. But, the Golderwaterites evolved into Reaganites and dominate the entire political spectrum.

I have to give it to the Goldwaterites -- they kept pushing and pushing and pushing until they won.
_______________-

Be Sure and See this Film:



View Trailer:

http://movies.go.com/readerreviews/movie?name=one-bright_2005&genre=documentary&studio=First%20Run%20Features

link for Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6ESSA/ref=cm_bg_f_3/002-5963463-8581663?v=glance&n=130

[wyldwolf]

30. not a valid comparison

McGovern managed to pass legislation that allowed more "progressive" control of the party. We saw the result in house and senate elections throughout the 70s and 80s.

[Douglas Carpenter]

43. in 1973 Robert Strauss then DNC Chair moved quickly to minimize the

grassroots influence within the Democratic Party and to direct the party toward a more centrist direction which it has maintained ever since.

links:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_n9_v57/ai_14235586

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050131/borosage

The contrast I was making is that the right did not give up or accept marginalization after the 1964 landslide defeat of Barry Goldwater. They not only remained a strong force within the leadership of the Republican Party they came to dominate the entire GOP and the political landscape of America.

[wyldwolf]

59. but failed

The McGovern commission, chaired first by Senator George McGovern and then Congressman Don Fraser of Minnesota, ended the old boss system of choosing presidential nominees and helped create the modern presidential primary system. This led to a class shift in each party, as affluent liberals gained more power in the Democratic Party while working-class conservatives won more say in the GOP.

Perhaps most importantly, the commission changed the rationale for choosing presidential nominees: Picking a candidate who was likely to win became less important than choosing one who represented the views of primary voters and special-interest groups.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2003/11/23/primary_colors?mode=PF

Robert Strauss was the DNC chair from 72 to I believe '77. The McGovern-Fraser commission put their changes into effect in 1968, leading to the McGovern nomination in 1972 - a point at which grassroots-progressive had already established a strong hold on DNC affairs.

The reason I said this wasn't a valid comparison is because after McGovern's defeat in '72, liberal activivists were NOT marginalized as the far right was after Goldwater's defeat. The rules had been changed in the party to in favor of the left.

[Douglas Carpenter]

60. the simple fact Sir, is that after 72 -- every single Democratic nominee

pursued an essentially centrist strategy. Even though Mondale had a background as an old-style FDR/Hubert Humphrey liberal he ran in 84 on a pledge to keep ALL of Reagan's military budget and most of Reagan's tax and budget cuts.

The left WAS marginalized and to a very large degree remains marginalized after the 72 McGovern campaign. That is what happened Sir. Although perhaps we are defining the term left very differently. In fact even Sen. McGovern would not make any classical definition of leftist (leaning toward a social-democratic philosophy). However, he did certainly have left-wing support and reflected some left-wing sympathies. Since 72-no Democratic nominee was the favored of the left of the party. Udall made a viable attempt in 76. Of course Kennedy challenged (I believe it was a tragic mistake) in 80. Then there was Jesse Jackson and McGovern in 84. Jackson again in 88.I cannot recall any significant left-wing presence in 92 or 96 (unless one considered Jerry Brown in 92 from the left--but that would be quite a stretch of definition) . I suppose Bill Bradley who was hardly a leftist, but had some left-wing support in 2000. Of course only Dennis Kucinich actually reflected views of the left in 2004, but Wesley Clark and Howard Dean had some left-wing support, but then again so did John Kerry.

I would agree however that after 72 and largely as a result of the recommendations of the McGovern Commission the role of previously under-represented groups, IE: woman, minorities and gay people did significantly increase. Also, the role of primaries in the selection process increased.

[Douglas Carpenter]

61. and let me add that polls indicate that the American public is to the left

of every Democratic nominee since McGovern - but not in name. And I would also agree that there has been some degree of class shift. Despite their obvious differences both the DLC and Moveon (for example) reflect a constituency of different spectrum's of relatively affluent voters.

So perhaps it is not so much the left that are marginalized in the Democratic Party as much as it is the American people who are marginalized in American democracy:

recent polls by the Pew Research Group, the Opinion Research

Corporation, the Wall Street Journal, and CBS News

http://alternet.org/story/29788

1. 65 percent say the government should guarantee health insurance for everyone -- even if it means raising taxes.
2. 86 percent favor raising the minimum wage (including 79 percent of self described "social conservatives").
3. 60 percent favor repealing either all of Bush's tax cuts or at least those cuts that went to the rich.
4. 66 percent would reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.
5. 77 percent believe the country should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment.
6. 87 percent think big oil corporations are gouging consumers, and 80 percent (including 76 percent of Republicans) would support a windfall profits tax on the oil giants if the revenues went for more research on alternative fuels.
7. 69 percent agree that corporate off-shoring of jobs is bad for the U.S. economy (78 percent of "disaffected" voters think this), and only 22% believe off-shoring is good because "it keeps costs down."
8. 69 percent believe America is on the wrong track, with only 26 percent saying it's headed in the right dire
________________

Borrowed from:
LynnTheDem
a super-majority of Americans are liberal in all but name
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/alterman
Public opinion polls show that the majority of Americans embrace liberal rather than conservative positions...
http://www.poppolitics.com/articles/2002-04-16-liberal.shtml
The vast majority of Americans are looking for more social support, not less...
http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/borosage-r.html

http://people.umass.edu/mmorgan/commstudy.html

Some more polls:

http://www.democracycorps.com/reports/analyses/Democracy_Corps_May_2005_Graphs.pdf

http://www.democrats.com/bush-impeachment-poll-2

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/US/healthcare031020_poll.html

http://www.cdi.org/polling/5-foreign-aid.cfm

[IronLionZion]

35. Which state is George McGovern from?

Which state is Tom Daschle from?
Which state is currently leading an aggressive attack on women's rights?

:think:

How do you define, let alone quantify, the label "left".

And the most intriguing question I have: How radically different would the world be if only President Carter had requested 18 helicopters instead of 9 in Desert One? At least Nixon's guys went to jail. Reagan's guys are still in power today. :scared:

:think:

Dukakis's views are surprisingly similar to Thomas Jefferson's.

Al Gore was anti-choice before running for president.

...interesting...

[Hippo_Tron]

42. The religious right didn't exist when George McGovern was a Senator

The "heartland" which includes South Dakota wasn't the hotbed of religious conservatism that it is today.

[Douglas Carpenter]

44. he was unfortunately one their first real victims

1980 the "Moral Majority" and other similar groups targetted, George McGovern, Birch Baye, Frank Church and other progressive Democrats. South Dakota was targetted with a saturation of "McGovern is a baby killer" adds.

[Hippo_Tron]

45. It's pretty sad when you think about it

The idea that a guy like Frank Church could represent a state like Idaho just seems absurd today. Especially sad when you consider the current violations of our civil liberties and how much we need someone like Church today.

[Douglas Carpenter]

46. Giants walked the earth in those days

Not that there were not plenty of reactionaries as well even in the Democratic Party and not that the Democratic Party was dominated by these giants.

But I think how J.William Fulbright from Arkansas came out strongly against the Vietnam War in 1965. That was well before even campus anti-war protest became common place. Members of the U.S. Senate, many from conservative states, actually led the opposition to the War long before it was popular to do even on college campuses.

Imagine that in 1964 an unabashed liberal Ralph Yarborough from Texas defeated George H.W. Bush for Senate in a landslide in spite of Bush Sr attacking him for supporting the civil rights bill. And then, although he had been close to LBJ and owed part of his political career to him he still had the courage to come out strongly against the Vietnam War.

[Hippo_Tron]

47. And people ask what is wrong with the democratic party today

The simple answer is that we don't have giants like these that you speak of.

[Douglas Carpenter]

49. standing by convictions pays off (maybe not in every election)

but in the long run.

I was disturbed but not surprised when I came across a poll which showed that twice as many Americans considered the Republican Party more moral than the Democratic Party. Maybe they are helped by the way that the Republicans don't check the latest opinion polls to see what their convictions are.

When I made a contrast-comparison of the Goldwater defeat of 1964 to the McGovern defeat of 1972, I think how the right persevered and stood by what they believe was the right thing to do. I cannot help but think that is a trait we could use a bit more of. They sure didn't abandon their values back in 1964. And the more they articulated their values the more they won.

[Hippo_Tron]

52. People also seem to forget that dems just seem to have a bad machine

George McGovern lost because Nixon was 100 times more politically inept than he was, not because he was too liberal.

Carter lost because of a very unfortunate set of circumstances. Mondale lost because he was running against Reagan who had incredible charisma and a great machine behind him.

Dukakis lost because Lee Atwater convinced America that President Dukakis would let scary black men out of prison to come rape and murder their daughters and wives.

Clinton won because he was incredibly charismatic and because he had the best run campaign since Kennedy. After watching The War Room I've pretty much concluded that if Kerry's campaign had been that well run, he'd be president. Same goes for McGovern, Dukakis, or Gore.

[Douglas Carpenter]

55. well yes they do have a far, far better machine

once upon a time the Democrats had a better machine than them.

Also the Republican with the help of some Democrats have been able to define the image of the Democratic Party.

Even though Mondale ran on a pledge to keep ALL of Reagan's military budget along with most of Reagan's tax cuts and spending cuts -- The GOP with the aid of certain Democrats managed to paint Mondale with a totally different image.

I doubt that the Republicans would be nearly as successful at damaging the Democratic Party if they didn't have some Democrats ready and willing to spread their lies and propaganda.

[blm]

64. BIG changes in the media since 1992 campaign.

By 1997 it has been almost completely controlled by GOP aligned corporations who helped impeach Clinton, and tear down every Democrat who stuck their neck out since.

Clinton was helped in 1992 by bad headlines for Bush1 that were triggered by the intense work and dogged pursuit of IranContra and BCCI by John Kerry. Americans lost trust in Bush1.

If only Bush2 had investigations trained on him and even half-honest reporting from the broadcast media.

Instead, the broadcast media acted like Bush's front line on offense and defense.

[Art_from_Ark]

48. Oh, sure they existed back then

For example, The Right Reverend Billy James Hargis had a Sunday morning program on one of the Tulsa TV stations in 1972 imploring his viewers to vote for the "moral" candidate, Richard Nixon! No telling what would happen to our great country if that permissive liberal McGovern were to be elected!

By the way, the good reverend ran into a little trouble a few years later and had to give up his ministry.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Propaganda/Republican_Noise_Machine.html

[Hippo_Tron]

53. Fair enough, they weren't as prominent back then

[Douglas Carpenter]

54. oh indeed they've always been around but they only became a strong

force in 1979 and made their first major impact in 1980

link:

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/groupwatch/mm.php

"Background:

Although generally considered a fundamentalist Christian organization, the Moral Majority was created in 1979 by the wizards of the New Right, Richard Viguerie, Paul Weyrich and Howard Phillips. The goal of the Moral Majority was to politicize and unify the frustrated and fragmented conservative, fundamentalist religious community and mold it into a political voting block. While the Moral Majority appealed mainly to Christians, it invited all "morally conservative" Americans who believed in its tenets, including orthodox Jews, Mormons, and evangelical Protestants to join in its political battles. From the beginning Moral Majority set a political platform that addressed a broad range of issues. The group opposed abortion, equal rights for homosexuals, sex education in the schools, pornography, and the Equal Rights Amendment. It spoke in favor of a strong national defense, and prayer in the schools, was strongly pro-Israel, and stridently anticommunist. (1,2) Another stated goal, which made the Moral Majority popular with conservative corporate America, was "to defend the free enterprise system, the family and Bible morality."(13)

For tax purposes, the Moral Majority established several different organizations. The tax-exempt Moral Majority Foundation was set up as an educational group focusing on voter registration; the Moral Majority Political Action Committee was the branch that raised money for candidates; the Moral Majority Inc. was the lobbying group for influencing legislation at all levels; and the Moral Majority Legal Defense Foundation was set up to counter the influence of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). (8,14) Although the national Moral Majority (headed by Falwell) was very visible and outspoken, it had a very loose and uncoordinated structure. It functioned primarily as an extensive mailing list of individuals and groups that shared similar fears and hostilities about the changes in our society. (2) It reached out to people who have often been thought of as "outsiders" or disenfranchised, and helped them to feel more a part of the system. (14)

Independent chapters that set their own agenda were established in every state. They often worked in concert with Right-To-Lifers and other conservative political action committees to defeat "liberal" candidates and address local issues of concern. (1)"

[Art_from_Ark]

57. I think these guys were a strong force back in the early '70s as well

and could be one of the reasons why Carter was playing up his religion in the '76 campaign

(from the link I posted above):

"A few of these ministers were ferociously ideological and had a distinct political bias; for example, the Reverend Billy James Hargis used his Christian Crusade to denounce Communists, liberals, homosexuals, and the media. Hargis was aided by Conservative Digest publisher Richard Viguerie and his valuable direct-mail lists. Heard on 270 radio stations nationwide, Hargis said "the biggest traitors" were "liberals, welfare staters, do-gooders and one-worlders." "Don't talk to me of liberalism! It is a double-standard, Satanic hypocrisy," he proclaimed. The Christian Crusade published a magazine of the same name and several books, such as The Facts About Communism & Our Churches, Communism: The Total Lie, and The Real Extremists: The Far Left.' (A sex scandal caused Hargis to lose his ministry in 1976.)

The Reverend Carl Mclntire of The 20°' Century Reformation Hour reached some twenty million radio listeners through six hundred outlets, supplemented by mass mailings of "radio letters" and sponsored by Mclntire's newspaper, the Christian Beacon. "His program runs a pattern," as George Thayer elucidated in The Farther Shores of Politics. "He opens with a folksy greeting that is offset by strains of some patriotic music such as 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' . . . then comes the political pitch . . . 'these communists and these liberals are using the fear of the bomb to frighten us so we won't stand up for our principles of morality and we will retreat from freedom... and our political leaders-some of them - are being intimidated by this propaganda . 6 Dr. Frederick Charles Schwarz of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade convened "meet and scream" groups in which participants were "ready to condemn, attack, harass or intimidate at the first slip of a liberal phrase."'

Dallas oilman H. L. Hunt, Nelson Bunker Hunt's father, subsidized the Campus Crusade for Christ and broadcast The Facts Forum, later called Life Line, with a nominally religious bent. These radio programs, aired on 387 radio stations nationwide, reached as many as five million listeners per day. Underwritten by advertising from Hunt-owned companies, the programs campaigned against "teachers, psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, economists, and politicians," all of whom Hunt considered "practiced brain-twisters turned loose on our defenseless children." Hunt believed that the U.S. government was Communist-controlled. Life Line lost its tax exemption as a public charity in 1963 because its programming was so "one-sided."

What was new in the 1970s was the fusion of religion and partisan politics coupled with technological capacity to reach a wider audience. Weyrich showed fundamentalist evangelical ministers such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell how to politicize religion to the GOP's benefit while making boatloads of cash. Politics was projected onto the TV screen and cast as a morality play, a Manichaean struggle between the forces of light and darkness. Bad intentions, illegitimacy, and even Satanic powers were assigned to the "enemy"' "Rhetoric that equates the political work of the religious right with warfare is commonplace among the movement's leaders," analyst Dan Junas has written. "It reflects in part an apocalyptic vision of politics, and in part a conviction that their agenda reflects divine will." The "central, unifying ideology" of the various strains of evangelical belief, according to Junas, was that "Christians are mandated by the Bible to take control of all secular institutions and build the Kingdom of God on earth."°

[paineinthearse]

65. Kerry to the left of McGovern?

:rofl: