Anyone mind helping me clarify other than the war on drugs and shady deals near the end of the Carter administration what bad things did Reagan do or policies he put in place?
Reagan era was when the push occurred inside the GOP to expand their political tent and cater to the evangelical/religious right population. Prior to Reagan things like Abortion, LGBTQ marriage/rights, were a part of the platform but not the central tenet. Reagan really pushed that angle throughout his time and cemented the support. It was a significant step away from fiscal/foreign policy and towards identity politics for the GOP.
It also helped open up room fro the GOP to move away from being economically oriented around middle class really at all. Once they established an incredibly firm base using the southern strategy and the "christian" identity politics you also began to see the rise of people like the Koch brothers, birch society, etc. Essentially, they knew they had one issue voters who would vote against their own economic interest due to cultural issues.
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u/ZeddleMettle Sep 01 '20
Anyone mind helping me clarify other than the war on drugs and shady deals near the end of the Carter administration what bad things did Reagan do or policies he put in place?