78-543: PATCO may refer to: Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968) , the defunct American labor union of air traffic controllers; famous for its failed 1981 strike Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (2003) , an independent labor union in the United States Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (AFSCME) , an affiliate of
156-491: A landslide victory . This was the second consecutive election in which an incumbent president was defeated, although Gerald Ford assumed the presidency after President Richard Nixon resigned and was not elected, as well as the first election since 1888 that saw the defeat of an incumbent Democratic president. Carter's unpopularity and poor relations with Democratic leaders encouraged an unsuccessful intra-party challenge from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy . Meanwhile,
234-428: A supply-side economic policy. Reagan promised a balanced budget within three years (which he said would be "the beginning of the end of inflation"), accompanied by a 30% reduction in tax rates over those same years. With respect to the economy, Reagan famously said, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." Reagan also criticized
312-538: A "crisis of confidence" among the American people. This came to be known as his " Malaise speech ", although Carter never used the word in the speech. Many expected Senator Ted Kennedy to successfully challenge Carter in the upcoming Democratic primary. Kennedy's official announcement was scheduled for early November. A television interview with Roger Mudd of CBS a few days before the announcement went badly, however. Kennedy gave an "incoherent and repetitive" answer to
390-583: A Christian." The election of 1980 was a key turning point in American politics. It signaled the new electoral power of the suburbs and the Sun Belt . Reagan's success as a conservative would initiate a realigning of the parties, as Rockefeller-style Republicans and conservative Democrats would either leave politics or change party affiliations through the 1980s and 1990s to leave the parties much more ideologically polarized. While during Barry Goldwater 's 1964 campaign , many voters saw his warnings about
468-491: A balanced budget. His campaign was aided by Democratic dissatisfaction with Carter, the Iran hostage crisis , and a worsening economy marred by stagflation . Carter attacked Reagan as a dangerous right-wing extremist, and warned that Reagan would cut Medicare and Social Security . The Carter campaign was aided early on by the rally 'round the flag effect from the hostage crisis, but as the crisis lasted to election day, it became
546-467: A campaign speech at the annual Neshoba County Fair on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Mississippi , where three civil rights workers were murdered in 1964 . He was the first presidential candidate ever to campaign at the fair. Reagan famously announced, "Programs like education and others should be turned back to the states and local communities with the tax sources to fund them. I believe in states' rights . I believe in people doing as much as they can at
624-474: A controller " sickout " to protest many of the FAA actions that they felt were unfair; over 2,000 controllers around the country did not report to work as scheduled and informed management that they were ill. Controllers called in sick to circumvent the federal law against strikes by government unions. Management personnel attempted to assume many of the duties of the missing controllers but major traffic delays around
702-528: A detriment. Reagan won the election in a landslide, with 489 Electoral College votes to Carter's 49 and 50.7% of the popular vote to Carter's 41.0%. Anderson won 6.6% of the popular vote and no electoral votes. Due to the rise of conservatism following Reagan's victory, historians have considered the election a political realignment that began with Barry Goldwater 's presidential campaign in 1964 . This election began an ongoing pattern in which Rust Belt states Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin voted for
780-567: A more popular alternative to Carter than Kennedy, implying that the attraction was not so much to Kennedy as to the fact that he was not Carter. Muskie was polling even with Ronald Reagan at the time, while Carter was seven points behind. Although the underground "Draft Muskie" campaign failed, it became a political legend. After defeating Kennedy in 24 of 34 primaries, Carter entered the party's convention in New York in August with 60 percent of
858-468: A national crisis. On April 25, 1980, Carter's ability to use the hostage crisis to regain public acceptance eroded when his high risk attempt to rescue the hostages ended in disaster when eight servicemen were killed. The unsuccessful rescue attempt drew further skepticism towards his leadership skills. Following the failed rescue attempt, Carter took overwhelming blame for the Iran hostage crisis, in which
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#1732765015928936-465: A position as honorary chairman of Democrats for Reagan . Five months earlier, Jaworski had harshly criticized Reagan as an "extremist"; he said after accepting the chairmanship, "I would rather have a competent extremist than an incompetent moderate." Former Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota (who in 1968 had challenged Lyndon B. Johnson from the left, causing the then-President to all but abdicate) endorsed Reagan. Three days before
1014-632: A profound effect on the aggressiveness of labor at that time, in the midst of this inflationary problem and other economic problems. I am told that the administration pretty much took off the shelf plans that had been developed in the Carter administration, but whether the Carter administration ever would [have] done it is the open question. That was something of a watershed. In addition to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association , two organizations now claim
1092-417: A raise more than twice what was being given to other federal employees, "The average federal controller (at a GS-13 level, a common grade controller) earned $ 36,613, which was 18% less than private sector counterpart"; with the raise demanded, the average federal pay would have exceeded the private sector pay by 8%, along with better benefits and shorter working hours. However, because the offer did not include
1170-460: A reckless "war hawk", as well as a "dangerous right-wing radical". But it was President Carter's reference to his consultation with 12-year-old daughter Amy concerning nuclear weapons policy that became the focus of post-debate analysis and fodder for late-night television jokes . President Carter said he had asked Amy what the most important issue in that election was and she said, "the control of nuclear arms ." A famous political cartoon, published
1248-402: A shorter work week or earlier retirement, PATCO rejected the offer. At 7 a.m. on August 3, 1981, the union declared a strike, seeking better working conditions, better pay (PATCO sought a total raise of $ 600 million over three years, compared to FAA's offer of $ 105 million) and a 32-hour workweek (a four-day week and an eight-hour day combined). In addition, PATCO wanted to be excluded from
1326-658: A threat to world peace and progressive social welfare programs from the New Deal to the Great Society . (1961–1981) (1977–1979) John B. Anderson was defeated in the Republican primaries, but entered the general election as an independent candidate. He campaigned as a liberal Republican alternative to Reagan's conservatism. Anderson's campaign appealed primarily to frustrated anti-Carter voters from Republican and Democratic backgrounds. Anderson's running mate
1404-434: A too-powerful government as hyperbolic and only 30% of the electorate agreed that government was too powerful, by 1980 a majority of Americans believed that government held too much power. Reagan promised a restoration of the nation's military strength, at the same time 60% of Americans polled felt defense spending was too low. Reagan also promised an end to "trust me government" and to restore economic health by implementing
1482-458: Is not responsible for what has happened over the last four years, nor am I. The man who should be here tonight to respond to those charges chose not to attend," to which Reagan added: "It's a shame now that there are only two of us here debating, because the two that are here are in more agreement than disagreement." In one moment in the debate, Reagan commented on a rumor that Anderson had invited Senator Ted Kennedy to be his running mate by asking
1560-453: The 1968 election in which Lyndon Johnson withdrew his candidacy, this was the most tumultuous primary race that an elected incumbent president had encountered since President Taft , during the highly contentious election of 1912 . During the summer of 1980, there was a short-lived "Draft Muskie" movement; Secretary of State Edmund Muskie was seen as a favorable alternative to a deadlocked convention. One poll showed that Muskie would be
1638-675: The 1980 presidential election , PATCO (along with the Teamsters and the Air Line Pilots Association ) refused to back President Jimmy Carter , instead endorsing Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan . PATCO's refusal to endorse the Democratic Party stemmed in large part from poor labor relations with the FAA (the employer of PATCO members) under the Carter administration and Ronald Reagan's endorsement of
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#17327650159281716-749: The Equal Rights Amendment . After a bitter Convention fight between Republican feminists and antifeminists the Republican Party dropped their forty-year endorsement of the ERA. Reagan, however, announced his dedication to women's rights and his intention to, if elected, appoint women to his cabinet and the first female justice to the Supreme Court . He also pledged to work with all 50 state governors to combat discrimination against women and to equalize federal laws as an alternative to
1794-431: The " windfall profit tax " that Carter and Congress enacted that year in regards to domestic oil production and promised to attempt to repeal it as president. The tax was not a tax on profits, but on the difference between the price control -mandated price and the market price. On the issue of women's rights there was much division, with many feminists frustrated with Carter, the only major-party candidate who supported
1872-669: The "rebirth of code words like 'states' rights' ". Two days later, Reagan appeared at the Urban League convention in New York, where he said, "I am committed to the protection and enforcement of the civil rights of black Americans. This commitment is interwoven into every phase of the plans I will propose." He then said that he would develop " enterprise zones " to help with urban renewal. The media's main criticism of Reagan centered on his gaffes. When Carter kicked off his general election campaign in Tuscumbia , Reagan—referring to
1950-488: The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) PATCO Speedline , a rapid transit system running between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden County, New Jersey Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title PATCO . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
2028-517: The ERA. Reagan was convinced to give an endorsement of women's rights in his nomination acceptance speech. Carter was criticized by his own aides for not having a "grand plan" for the recovery of the economy, nor did he ever make any campaign promises; he often criticized Reagan's economic recovery plan, but did not create one of his own in response. In August, after the Republican National Convention , Ronald Reagan gave
2106-459: The FAA began new contract negotiations. Citing safety concerns, PATCO called for a reduced 32-hour work week, a $ 10,000 pay increase for all air-traffic controllers and a better benefits package for retirement. Negotiations quickly stalled. Then, in June, the FAA offered a new three-year contract with $ 105 million of up front conversions in raises to be paid in 11.4% increases over the next three years,
2184-615: The Government of the United States or any agency thereof, and I will not so participate while an employee of the Government of the United States or any agency thereof.'" He then demanded those remaining on strike return to work within 48 hours or officially forfeit their positions. After PATCO disobeyed a federal court injunction ordering an end to the strike and return to work, a federal judge found union leaders including PATCO President Robert Poli to be in contempt of court, and
2262-522: The PATCO strike a "peril to national safety" and ordered them back to work under the terms of the Taft–Hartley Act . Only 1,300 (10%) of the nearly 13,000 controllers returned to work. At 10:55 a.m., Reagan included the following in a statement: "Let me read the solemn oath taken by each of these employees, a sworn affidavit, when they accepted their jobs: 'I am not participating in any strike against
2340-657: The Republican primaries were contested between former California Governor Ronald Reagan, former Central Intelligence Agency director George H. W. Bush , Illinois Representative John B. Anderson , and several other candidates. All of Reagan's opponents had dropped out by the end of the primaries, and the Republicans nominated a ticket consisting of Reagan and Bush. Anderson entered the general election as an independent candidate with Patrick Lucey , former Wisconsin governor, as his running mate. Reagan campaigned for increased defense spending, supply-side economic policies, and
2418-453: The South and white ethnics dubbed " Reagan Democrats ", and exuded upbeat optimism. David Frum says Carter ran an attack-based campaign based on "despair and pessimism" which "cost him the election." Carter emphasized his record as a peacemaker, and said Reagan's election would threaten civil rights and social programs that stretched back to the New Deal . Reagan's platform also emphasized
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2496-633: The Southern U.S. as a whole—claimed that Carter had begun his campaign in the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan . In doing so, Reagan seemed to insinuate that the KKK represented the South, which caused many Southern governors to denounce Reagan's remarks. Additionally, Reagan was widely ridiculed by Democrats for saying that trees caused pollution; he later said that he meant only certain types of pollution and his remarks had been misquoted. Meanwhile, Carter
2574-601: The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979 , Carter seized international leadership in rallying opposition. He cut off American grain sales, which hurt Soviet consumers and annoyed American farmers. In terms of prestige, the Soviets were deeply hurt by the large-scale boycott of their 1980 Summer Olympics . Furthermore, Carter began secret support of the opposition forces in Afghanistan that successfully tied down
2652-508: The Soviet army for a decade. The effect was to end détente and reopen the Cold War. [REDACTED] The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks and cable news channels, were listed in publicly published national polls, or had held a public office. Reagan received 7,709,793 votes in the primaries. Former governor Ronald Reagan of California was
2730-646: The Strike that Changed America in Review 31, Richard Sharpe stated that Reagan was "laying down a marker" for his presidency: "The strikers were often working-class men and women who had achieved suburban middle class lives as air traffic controllers without having gone to college. Many were veterans of the US armed forces where they had learned their skills; their union had backed Reagan in his election campaign. Nevertheless, Reagan refused to back down. Several strikers were jailed;
2808-618: The U.S.; by 1980 the number had dropped to under 200, in 1999 it fell to 17, and in 2010 there were only 11. In 2003, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan , speaking on the legacy of Ronald Reagan, noted: Perhaps the most important, and then highly controversial, domestic initiative was the firing of the air traffic controllers in August 1981. The President invoked the law that striking government employees forfeit their jobs, an action that unsettled those who cynically believed no President would ever uphold that law. President Reagan prevailed, but far more importantly his action gave weight to
2886-405: The candidate directly, "John, would you really prefer Teddy Kennedy to me?" As September turned into October, the situation remained essentially the same. Reagan insisted Anderson be allowed to participate in a three-way debate, while Carter remained steadfastly opposed to this. As the standoff continued, the second debate was canceled, as was the vice presidential debate. With two weeks to go to
2964-487: The civil service clauses that it had long disliked. In striking, the union violated 5 U.S.C. (Supp. III 1956) 118p (now 5 U.S.C. § 7311 ), which prohibits strikes by federal government employees. Anthony Skirlick of the Los Angeles Center warned that these "Unrealistic demands in the face of this change is suicide". Despite supporting PATCO's effort in his 1980 campaign, Ronald Reagan declared
3042-476: The community level and the private level." Reagan also stated, "I believe we have distorted the balance of our government today by giving powers that were never intended to be given in the Constitution to that federal establishment." He went on to promise to "restore to states and local governments the power that properly belongs to them." President Carter criticized Reagan for injecting "hate and racism" by
3120-671: The country occurred. On April 16, the federal courts intervened and most controllers went back to work by order of the court, but the government was forced to the bargaining table. The sickout led officials to recognize that the ATC system was operating nearly at capacity. To alleviate some of this, Congress accelerated the installation of automated systems, reopened the air traffic controller training academy in Oklahoma City, began hiring air traffic controllers at an increasing rate, and raised salaries to help attract and retain controllers. In
3198-464: The country, Iranian opposition figure Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ended his 14-year exile in France and returned to Iran to establish an Islamic Republic , largely hostile to American interests and influence in the country. In the spring and summer of 1979, inflation was on the rise and various parts of the United States were experiencing energy shortages. Carter was widely blamed for the return of
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3276-553: The day after Reagan's landslide victory, showed Amy Carter sitting in Jimmy's lap with her shoulders shrugged asking "the economy? the hostage crisis?" When President Carter criticized Reagan's record, which included voting against Medicare and Social Security benefits, former Governor Reagan audibly sighed and replied: " There you go again ". In his closing remarks, Reagan asked viewers: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in
3354-408: The delegates pledged to him on the first ballot. Still, Kennedy refused to drop out. At the convention, after a futile last-ditch attempt by Kennedy to alter the rules to free delegates from their first-ballot pledges, Carter was renominated with 2,129 votes to 1,146 for Kennedy. Vice President Walter Mondale was also renominated. In his acceptance speech, Carter warned that Reagan's conservatism posed
3432-616: The election, the Reagan campaign decided at that point that the best thing to do was to accede to all of President Carter's demands. The final debate, featuring only Carter and Reagan, was rescheduled for October 28 in Cleveland , Ohio . The showdown ranked among the highest ratings of any television program in the previous decade. Debate topics included the Iranian hostage crisis and nuclear arms. Carter's campaign sought to portray Reagan as
3510-438: The established separation standards for aircraft. The resultant large delay of air traffic was the first of many official and unofficial "slowdowns" that PATCO would initiate. In 1969, the U.S. Civil Service Commission ruled that PATCO was no longer a professional association but in fact a trade union. On June 18–20, 1969, 477 controllers conducted a three-day sick-out. On March 25, 1970, the newly designated union orchestrated
3588-462: The fat from their organizations and adopt more competitive work practices because of what the government did in those days. I would not be surprised if these unseen effects of this private sector shakeout under the inspiration of the president were as profound in influencing the recovery that occurred as the formal economic and fiscal programs. In a review of Joseph McCartin 's 2011 book, Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, The Air Traffic Controllers, and
3666-408: The firings proved fruitless. The FAA had initially claimed that staffing levels would be restored within two years; however, it took closer to 10 years before the overall staffing levels returned to normal. Some former striking controllers were allowed to reapply after 1986 and were rehired; they and their replacements are now represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association , which
3744-512: The followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini burned American flags and chanted anti-American slogans, paraded the captured American hostages in public, and burned Carter in effigy . Carter's critics saw him as an inept leader who had failed to solve the worsening economic problems at home. His supporters defended the president as a decent, well-intentioned man being unfairly criticized for problems that had been escalating for years. When
3822-567: The government was initially able to have 50% of flights available. On August 5, following the PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and banned them from federal service for life. In the wake of the strike and mass firings, the FAA was faced with the difficult task of hiring and training enough controllers to replace those that had been fired. Under normal conditions, it took three years to train new controllers. Until replacements could be trained,
3900-461: The importance of peace, as well as a prepared self-defense. Immediately after the conclusion of the primaries, a Gallup poll held that Reagan was ahead, with 58% of voters upset by Carter's handling of the presidency. One analysis of the election has suggested that "Both Carter and Reagan were perceived negatively by a majority of the electorate." While the three leading candidates (Reagan, Anderson and Carter) were religious Christians, Carter had
3978-420: The inflationary situation was the controllers' strike, because here, for the first time, it wasn't really a fight about wages; it was a fight about working conditions. It was directly a wage problem, but the controllers were government employees, and the government didn't back down. And he stood there and said, "If you're going to go on strike, you're going to lose your job, and we'll make out without you." That had
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#17327650159284056-436: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PATCO&oldid=1130003760 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968) The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO)
4134-429: The last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have". After trailing Carter by eight points among registered voters (and by three points among likely voters) right before their debate, Reagan moved into a three-point lead among likely voters immediately afterward. In September 1980, former Watergate scandal prosecutor Leon Jaworski accepted
4212-531: The legal right of private employers, previously not fully exercised, to use their own discretion to both hire and discharge workers. Reagan's director of the United States Office of Personnel Management at the time, Donald J. Devine , argued: When the president said no, American business leaders were given a lesson in managerial leadership that they could not and did not ignore. Many private sector executives have told me that they were able to cut
4290-478: The long gas lines in the summer of 1979 that were last seen just after the 1973 Yom Kippur War . He planned on delivering his fifth major speech on energy, but he felt that the American people were no longer listening. Carter left for the presidential retreat of Camp David . "For more than a week, a veil of secrecy enveloped the proceedings. Dozens of prominent Democratic Party leaders— members of Congress , governors, labor leaders, academics and clergy—were summoned to
4368-488: The maximum degree of public safety," and "I pledge to you that my administration will work very closely with you to bring about a spirit of cooperation between the President and the air traffic controllers." This letter gave Poli and the organization a sense of security that led to an overestimation of their position in the negotiations with the FAA, which contributed to their decision to strike. In February 1981, PATCO and
4446-467: The media at that time, with Reagan putting up a much stronger performance than expected. Despite the narrow win in the debate, Anderson, who had been as high as 20% in some polls, and at the time of the debate was over 10%, dropped to about 5% soon after. Anderson failed to substantively engage Reagan enough on their social issue differences and on Reagan's advocation of supply-side economics. Instead, Anderson started off by criticizing Carter: "Governor Reagan
4524-403: The most support of evangelical Christians according to a Gallup poll. However, in the end, Jerry Falwell 's Moral Majority lobbying group is credited with giving Reagan two-thirds of the white evangelical vote. According to Carter: "that autumn [1980] a group headed by Jerry Falwell purchased $ 10 million in commercials on southern radio and TV to brand me as a traitor to the South and no longer
4602-534: The mountaintop retreat to confer with the beleaguered president." His pollster, Pat Caddell , told him that the American people simply faced a crisis of confidence because of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy , Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. ; the Vietnam War ; and Watergate . On July 15, 1979, Carter gave a nationally televised address in which he identified what he believed to be
4680-576: The name and part or all of the jurisdiction of the original PATCO: Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (AFSCME) and Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization . 1980 United States presidential election Jimmy Carter Democratic Ronald Reagan Republican Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 1980. Republican nominee, former Governor of California Ronald Reagan , defeated incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter in
4758-573: The nominees in the next four elections. (Reagan in 1984 , Bush in 1988 and 1992 , and Dole in 1996 ). The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks, were listed in published national polls, or had held public office. Carter received 10,043,016 votes in the primaries. The three major Democratic candidates in early 1980 were incumbent President Jimmy Carter , Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, and Governor Jerry Brown of California. Brown withdrew on April 2. Carter and Kennedy faced off in 34 primaries. Not counting
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#17327650159284836-450: The odds-on favorite to win his party's nomination for president after nearly beating incumbent President Gerald Ford just four years earlier. Reagan dominated the primaries early, driving from the field Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker from Tennessee, former governor John Connally of Texas, Senator Robert Dole from Kansas, Representative Phil Crane from Illinois, and Representative John Anderson from Illinois, who dropped out of
4914-456: The only party platform to advocate explicitly for "amnesty" for all illegal non-citizens. The Citizens Party ran biologist Barry Commoner for president and Comanche Native American activist LaDonna Harris for vice president. The Commoner–Harris ticket was on the ballot in twenty-nine states and in the District of Columbia . Reagan gained in former Democratic strongholds such as
4992-505: The question of why he was running, and the polls, which showed him leading Carter by 58–25 in August now had him ahead 49–39. Kennedy was also politically scarred by the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident ; the controversy had been a major reason for Kennedy's decision to not run for president in 1972 and 1976. Meanwhile, Carter was given an opportunity for political redemption when the Khomeini regime again gained public attention and allowed
5070-595: The race to run as an Independent. George H. W. Bush from Texas posed the strongest challenge to Reagan with his victories in the Pennsylvania and Michigan primaries, but it was not enough to turn the tide. Reagan won the nomination on the first round at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan , in July, then chose Bush (his top rival) as his running mate. Reagan, Bush, and Dole would all go on to be
5148-528: The same presidential candidate, with the sole exception of 1988 . Throughout the 1970s, the United States underwent a wrenching period of low economic growth, high inflation and interest rates , and intermittent energy crises . By October 1978, Iran —a major oil supplier to the United States at the time—was experiencing a major uprising that severely damaged its oil infrastructure and greatly weakened its capability to produce oil. In January 1979, shortly after Iran's leader Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fled
5226-468: The stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we're as strong as we were four years ago? And if you answer all of those questions 'yes', why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don't agree, if you don't think that this course that we've been on for
5304-483: The taking of 52 American hostages by a group of Islamist students and militants at the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Carter's calm approach towards the handling of this crisis resulted in his approval ratings jump in the 60-percent range in some polls, due to a "rally round the flag" effect. By the beginning of the election campaign, the prolonged Iran hostage crisis had sharpened public perceptions of
5382-500: The union and its struggle for better conditions during the 1980 election campaign. During his campaign, Reagan sent a letter to Robert E. Poli, the new president of PATCO, in which he declared support for the organization's demands and a disposition to work toward solutions. In it, he stated "I will take whatever steps are necessary to provide our air traffic controllers with the most modern equipment available, and to adjust staff levels and workdays so they are commensurate with achieving
5460-404: The union was fined and eventually made bankrupt. Only about 800 got their jobs back when Clinton lifted the ban on rehiring those who went on strike. Many of the strikers were forced into poverty as a result of being blacklisted for [U.S. government] employment." Paul Volcker called the strike a "watershed" moment in the fight against inflation: One of the major factors in turning the tide on
5538-412: The union was ordered to pay a $ 100,000 fine, and certain named members were ordered to pay a $ 1,000 fine for each day its members were on strike. At the same time, Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis organized for replacements and started contingency plans. By prioritizing and cutting flights severely (about 7,000), and even adopting methods of air traffic management that PATCO had previously lobbied for,
5616-492: The vacant positions were temporarily filled with a mix of non-participating controllers, supervisors, staff personnel, some non-rated personnel, military controllers, and controllers transferred temporarily from other facilities. PATCO was decertified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority on October 22, 1981. The decision was appealed but to no avail, and attempts to use the courts to reverse
5694-453: Was Patrick Lucey , a Democratic former Governor of Wisconsin and then ambassador to Mexico, appointed by President Carter. The Libertarian Party nominated Ed Clark for president and David Koch for vice president. They were on the ballot in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. The Libertarian Party platform was the only political party in 1980 to contain a plank advocating for the equal rights of homosexual men and women as well as
5772-604: Was a United States trade union of air traffic controllers that operated from 1968 until its decertification in 1981 following an illegal strike broken by the Reagan administration ; in striking, the union violated 5 U.S.C. (Supp. III 1956) 118p (now 5 U.S.C. § 7311 ), which prohibits strikes by federal government employees. PATCO was founded in 1968 with the assistance of attorney and pilot F. Lee Bailey . On July 3, 1968, PATCO announced "Operation Air Safety" in which all members were ordered to adhere strictly to
5850-441: Was also seen as hurting Carter more than Reagan, especially in reliably Democratic states such as Massachusetts and New York. The League of Women Voters , which had sponsored the 1976 Ford/Carter debate series, announced that it would do so again for the next cycle in the spring of 1979. Carter steadfastly refused to participate in a debate if Anderson was included, and Reagan refused to debate without him. A League-sponsored debate
5928-528: Was burdened by a continued weak economy and the Iran hostage crisis . Inflation, high interest rates, and unemployment continued through the course of the campaign, and the ongoing hostage crisis in Iran became, according to David Frum in How We Got Here: The '70s , a symbol of American impotence during the Carter years. John Anderson's independent candidacy, aimed at eliciting support from liberals, especially former supporters of Ted Kennedy ,
6006-558: Was certified on June 19, 1987, and had no connection with PATCO. The civil service ban on the remaining strike participants was lifted by President Bill Clinton on August 12, 1993. Nevertheless, by 2006 only 850 PATCO strikers had been rehired by the FAA. Reagan's firing of the government employees encouraged large private employers like Phelps Dodge ( 1983 ), Hormel (1985–86) , and International Paper ( 1987 ) to hire striker replacements instead of negotiating in labor conflicts. In 1970 there were over 380 major strikes or lockouts in
6084-547: Was held on September 21, 1980, in the Baltimore Convention Center . Of Carter's refusal to debate, Reagan said: "He [Carter] knows that he couldn't win a debate even if it were held in the Rose Garden before an audience of Administration officials with the questions being asked by Jody Powell ". Anderson, who many thought would handily dispatch Reagan, managed only a narrow win, according to many in
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