By Jim Heffernan
I was born in the summer of 1946 and I think I was surrounded by an aura of hope and mutual trust that has deteriorated ever since. Maybe not ever since 1946, but certainly after the mid to late 60’s.
Before me, my mother lost 2 daughters at childbirth and a son as a toddler. I survived and thrived. I feel as the love that was lost with the children that died was showered on me. I think it has imbued me with a sense of well-being that has enriched my entire life.
The country was at a good point too. Millions of men and women were back from the nightmare of WWII. The economy was booming, millions were able to suddenly afford cars and houses. The nation’s wealth was still in a stage called “The Great Compression”, meaning that the comparative wealth of the upper class was shrinking at the same time as the comparative wealth of the working class was increasing.
Not everything was perfect. If you were black or female, you just plain did not have the advantages afforded to white men. Discrimination by race was the law of the land in many places. Abortion was a criminal offense.
So when did it start to unravel? I can’t say for sure, but I think a good date is November 22, 1963, my 24th day in the Air Force and the day JFK (John F. Kennedy) was shot. LBJ (Lyndon B. Johnson) became president and in a last gasp of unity, Medicare was established and the Civil Rights bill of 1965 was passed. LBJ pushed for the bills but acknowledged that it probably meant the end of Democratic Party support in the formerly “solid south”.
Viet Nam protests and inner-city riots in the late 60’s created a sense of growing discontent and division.
August 23, 1971, is another date I think is important in tracing our decline. That’s when Lewis Powell’s memo* “American Enterprise Under Attack” was sent to senior members of the Chamber of Commerce. It provided the blueprint that led us down the path of continued concentration of wealth in the upper classes and an ever-increasing sense of mutual distrust and skepticism among ourselves. It was originally a confidential memo to the Chamber of Commerce, but by 1973 it was widely distributed. Joe Coors, the Koch brothers, and their cronies adopted it as a new bible. And they opened their wallets again and again to further their cause.
They chipped away at classic conservatism, slowly and surely, they spawned a mutant version that became what we call “movement conservatism.” Good looks and a smooth, silky voice propelled Ronald Reagan to the presidency in 1980. He was so successful in getting votes that his “movement conservatism” heavily influenced Republicans and Democrats until 2020.
1980 marked the beginning of the period known as “the great divergence” — when the share of wealth consistently shifted to the upper class.
I was very pleased to recently read of the last three years being referred to as “the second great compression” It’s encouraging news and I hope it continues.
Since 2020, the share of wealth held by the bottom 50% has risen sharply. I think the root cause is returning to the mindset held by the government before the era of “movement conservatism.” **
We need to return to that 1946 sense of hope and trust. We need to speak to each other as brothers and sisters, not sworn enemies. We need to have a government that has higher aims than just kicking the can down the street.
That’s what I hope to find in my Easter basket.
As always, discussion is welcome at codger817@gmail.com and, as aways, I write for the joy of exploring new ideas. Feel free to share and use my writing any way you like.
* https://www.thwink.org/sustain/articles/017_PowellMemo/ Website has version with commentary and one without
**More about “movement conservatism” — it’s new term for me and it explains the difference between classical conservatism, which I admire, and what passes for conservatism these days.
