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20. partly it was the inflation, partly it was opportunism to deflect from nixon

Reply to cthulu2016 (Original post)

Mon Apr 7, 2014, 11:29 AM

Apr 2014

the inflation (for which the blame should go largely, if not exclusively, to nixon/ford and the middle east oil shocks -- not carter) was a great stroke of political fortune for republicans desperate for a remake after nixon went from hero to zero after watergate.

carter's biggest political mistake by far was failing to tar the republican party with the permanent brand of watergate. yet the stain remained, until saint ronnie came along and allowed them to remake themselves in the image of a genial grandpa figure which could put down democrats with a gleam in his eye.

presto, image remake, carter and the democrats became the party of incompetence and worst ever, because of the twin failures of inflation and hostages (things carter didn't cause nor could any president do much about -- except that carter did set volker on the anti-inflation warpath, we just rendered our verdict before the cure kicked in) and republicans became the charming morning in america party and watergate was long-forgotten.

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How did the 70s get framed as the ultimate bad time? [View all] cthulu2016 Apr 2014 OP

Mostly because of the awful fashions. Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #1

I grew up next door to Robert Reed PasadenaTrudy Apr 2014 #5

Wow! Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #6

What were the craziest and greatest things you saw? wheniwasincongress Apr 2014 #49

You know, the more retrospective I get about the 70's... tridim Apr 2014 #17

Nothing pipi_k Apr 2014 #18

I'd rather watch this than American Idol ... napkinz Apr 2014 #21

Also better than the Kartrashians! BuelahWitch Apr 2014 #24

Eve Plumb must absolutely kick herself for declining to participate Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #25

she did come back to do "A Very Brady Christmas" in 1988 napkinz Apr 2014 #63

oops, replied to wrong person napkinz Apr 2014 #78

That's just about the sparkliest thing I've ever seen. tridim Apr 2014 #46

Is that a Jan replacement or did she just grow up? aikoaiko Apr 2014 #77

Geri Reischl played Jan napkinz Apr 2014 #80

I think it was Eve Plumb that I crushed on as a little boy. aikoaiko Apr 2014 #84

:) napkinz Apr 2014 #90

Janghazi! BeyondGeography Apr 2014 #99

is it me or are Greg and Marcia twerking at 4:45? Skittles Apr 2014 #97

One word. UncleYoder Apr 2014 #2

Beat me to it hobbit709 Apr 2014 #4

Damn! Kelvin Mace Apr 2014 #8

Guilty admission... pipi_k Apr 2014 #22

OK, if I we are going to be confessing stuff Kelvin Mace Apr 2014 #32

i was never a fan of disco, but people malign it as if no decade since had any crap music unblock Apr 2014 #11

There was a lot of racist and anti-gay sentiment in the whole "disco sucks!" thing. Arugula Latte Apr 2014 #19

What you seem to miss is that disco, indeed, did suck. AngryAmish Apr 2014 #23

A lot of it sucked, but like I said, there were also some good dance tunes that came out of it. Arugula Latte Apr 2014 #42

The people who thought "Disco Sucked" were MicaelS Apr 2014 #52

The Bee Gees made great love songs, so disco really didn't suck. nilesobek Apr 2014 #92

Disco sucked because it was cheezy AgingAmerican Apr 2014 #95

Rock became hopelessly bloated and fast in the 70s BeyondGeography Apr 2014 #72

What about The Cars? Cirque du So-What Apr 2014 #93

That was the rock reaction to rock bloat...and it was great, too BeyondGeography Apr 2014 #98

Not a huge fan of disco here, but I still love a few of the Bee Gees' songs deutsey Apr 2014 #74

In the history of music, there is Bach, Beethoven...and then Donna Summer joeybee12 Apr 2014 #88

I have a good friend who was in a group of folks from w. Michigan amandabeech Apr 2014 #111

A lot of ALL music is bad Scootaloo Apr 2014 #102

wasn't it supposed to "live forever"? napkinz Apr 2014 #26

I loved the Rolling Stones disco stuff. goldent Apr 2014 #100

Rolling Stones disco stuff ... napkinz Apr 2014 #105

I like Rolling Stones videos goldent Apr 2014 #106

Disco gives me hope.... Bigmack Apr 2014 #12

Except disco didn't break out until nearly the 1980s Recursion Apr 2014 #109

I think the gas lines at the pump scared people. Ilsa Apr 2014 #3

I remember those gas lines and they were hell RebelOne Apr 2014 #76

I have a theory... malthaussen Apr 2014 #7

The self-centeredness of the 70's Kelvin Mace Apr 2014 #27

+1000 for your theory Tom Ripley Apr 2014 #57

Bingo deutsey Apr 2014 #73

Unresolved anger on all sides coming out of the 60s combined with the realization BeyondGeography Apr 2014 #9

Yes and the beginning of the wage stagnation that is killing the middle class anneboleyn Apr 2014 #10

Couple of reasons Kelvin Mace Apr 2014 #13

because I was raising two boys with a drunk, mean husband, trying to stay sane mountain grammy Apr 2014 #14

Because people can't remember the sixties? House of Roberts Apr 2014 #15

That's when the right wing set up many think tanks and began telling the story... polichick Apr 2014 #16

+1 The MIC PTB were determined to insure that nothing like the 60's could ever happen again. Zorra Apr 2014 #40

That's how it went - and now we're at a place where the ptb have... polichick Apr 2014 #45

I feel that we need to get out the Dem vote in huge numbers, and watch every race closely to Zorra Apr 2014 #65

Wonder how many running this year are liberal Dems (vs Third Way). It really... polichick Apr 2014 #69

+1 And the media created the mythical 'silent majority' leftstreet Apr 2014 #53

Yeah, wasn't that a nice trick? polichick Apr 2014 #56

partly it was the inflation, partly it was opportunism to deflect from nixon unblock Apr 2014 #20

There was also the incompetent foreign policy of the Carter White House. Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #31

That's a major part of the RW propaganda meme that brought us Reagan. Zorra Apr 2014 #43

trenchant insight. had he "got" it, what would he have done differently? unblock Apr 2014 #44

The most obvious thing is that he should never have invited the Shah into the US. Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #55

armchair quarterbacking. unblock Apr 2014 #58

OK, you ask me what he should have done differently, then accuse me of "armchair quarterbacking" Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #62

by "armchair quarterbacking" i just mean it need more analysis to support it. unblock Apr 2014 #68

Back up a bit TexasProgresive Apr 2014 #59

OK maybe, but presidents have to deal with the situation that actually exists, Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #64

Yes, he should never have listened to Kissinger. eppur_se_muova Apr 2014 #70

Carter didn't do so well in Afghanistan and Iran Art_from_Ark Apr 2014 #87

Two questions rock Apr 2014 #28

Oh, and don't forget the kitchens. Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #29

Bell-Bottoms lame54 Apr 2014 #30

I loved bell-bottoms. That's just about all I wore in the '70s. n/t RebelOne Apr 2014 #75

Me too. Enthusiast Apr 2014 #85

I remember hating the 70's at the time---shitty music, clothes, etc. Paladin Apr 2014 #33

I have very mixed feelings about the '70s. Art_from_Ark Apr 2014 #89

Nixon FarCenter Apr 2014 #34

Maybe Republicans Hate The 70's Dirty Socialist Apr 2014 #41

Because Reagan hadn't yet ascended to living godhood. eShirl Apr 2014 #35

Yup. If the seventies weren't bad, Reagan's no hero. gulliver Apr 2014 #91

I loved the 70's n/t 2pooped2pop Apr 2014 #36

Me too. Great music! Great times! polichick Apr 2014 #51

What I can remember of the 70s ohheckyeah Apr 2014 #54

I believe that may be why I loved them. 2pooped2pop Apr 2014 #71

Ditto.....n/t ohheckyeah Apr 2014 #86

Gas lines, terrifying inflation, hostage crisis and a President totally out of his depth... Demo_Chris Apr 2014 #37

He's a good man. But he was not a good president (nt) Nye Bevan Apr 2014 #38

Very well said! CFLDem Apr 2014 #39

Oh, I thought you meant Gerald Ford. He was "totally out of his depth". Remeber WIN? SharonAnn Apr 2014 #48

Looking back, Ford seems like a genius compared to you-know-who. raccoon Apr 2014 #61

Pardoning Nixon was certainly a stroke of genius for the Republicans Fumesucker Apr 2014 #82

As I said, this rewriting stuff is silly... Demo_Chris Apr 2014 #66

The man and his times were not made for each other BeyondGeography Apr 2014 #50

Carter would've been a fantastic president in 1996. Drunken Irishman Apr 2014 #107

I discovered public radio in the 70s kentauros Apr 2014 #47

Inflation burned up everyone's arse. Oh, and gas "shortages." nt raccoon Apr 2014 #60

Disco. Blue_In_AK Apr 2014 #67

And there was the crime thing. aikoaiko Apr 2014 #79

A mix of things The Straight Story Apr 2014 #81

"Filmed before a live audience" KansDem Apr 2014 #83

God'll get you for that :) loyalsister Apr 2014 #96

Disco AgingAmerican Apr 2014 #94

I remember the unemployment. goldent Apr 2014 #101

Was a good time for me in many ways, elleng Apr 2014 #103

Well, we had rocks for pets Generic Brad Apr 2014 #104

My guess: Nixon, crime, the deteriorating inner-city, racial strife, Iran, gas lines, inflation... Drunken Irishman Apr 2014 #108

Crime and urban decay is a huge one Recursion Apr 2014 #110

People tend to remember the gas lines and prices doubling and tripling. amandabeech Apr 2014 #112