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122 Th e Great Awakening dubbed them , believe d tha t blac k povert y wa s th e resul t o f illegitimac y and crimina l behavior , no t whit e racism . Suc h voters clun g to Ne w Deal programs, bu t wante d al l vestige s o f McGover n liberalis m eliminated . Reagan Democrat s were willing to give the Moral Majority a hearing—at least up t o a point. Lik e Paul Weyrich, they remained leer y of the GOP' s libertarians. Unwillin g t o be t th e far m o n th e Ne w Right , man y o f Rea gan 's Democrati c supporter s spli t thei r votes , hoping thei r congressiona l representatives had enoug h sens e to be socially conservative and econom ically liberal. I n th e earl y sixties split-ticke t voter s were a rarity. By 1980, a thir d o f th e electorat e judge d candidate s o n th e issues , not thei r part y affiliation.70 Up t o th e final day s o f th e election , th e media—relyin g mor e o n wishful thinkin g tha n informe d analysis—asserte d tha t th e presidentia l race was close. Moreover, Democrat s would easil y retain contro l o f Congress . The y wer e wron g o n al l counts . Reaga n defeate d Carte r b y te n percentage points. In Michigan, a state that reporters had predicted might go to Carte r i n a squeaker, Reaga n won by a landslide margin o f 250,000 votes. Texas , anothe r "Carte r state, " wen t t o Reaga n b y a staggerin g 700,000 votes . Moreover, Republican s gaine d thirtee n Senat e an d thirty three House seats. For the first time since 1952, the Republicans controlled the Senat e an d prominen t liberal s lik e McGover n an d Birc h Bay h o f In diana were turned ou t of office. The election results underscored just how deceitful an d cynica l Carter ha d been durin g the campaign. Alabama an d Oklahoma fundamentalist s who , accordin g t o Carter , wer e anti-Vatica n nativists, sen t Catholi c Republican s t o th e Senate . Finally , th e Republi cans , wit h th e cooperatio n o f conservativ e souther n Democrats , ha d se cured workin g contro l o f th e House . Congressiona l leaders , however , were to o bus y throwin g dart s a t Carte r an d denyin g tha t Reaga n ha d scored a landslide to notice that development. 71 Not onl y had th e Republica n part y recovere d fro m th e Watergate de bacle , many McGover n liberals , including Bil l Clinton, had lost their gu bernatorial an d legislativ e seats . Th e Republican s wo n th e soli d suppor t of socia l conservatives , who mad e u p a quarter o f the electorat e i n 1980. Libertarians represente d a quarter o f the electorate . (Thes e voters tende d to b e seriou s ticke t splitters , mor e intereste d i n a candidate' s ideolog y than part y affiliation. ) Anothe r 2 0 percent o f the electorat e wer e Demo cratic and Republica n populist s who had no use for Bi g Government an d Big Business . Reagan' s coalitio n wa s no t ver y stable , particularl y i f an d when socia l conservatives , libertarians , an d populist s decide d tha t thei r 122 The Great Awakening dubbed them, believed that black poverty was the result of illegitimacy and criminal behavior, not white racism. Such voters clung to New Deal programs, but wanted all vestiges of McGovern liberalism eliminated. Reagan Democrats were willing to give the Moral Majority a hearing-at least up to a point. Like Paul Weyrich, they remained leery of the GOP's libertarians. Unwilling to bet the farm on the New Right, many of Reagan 's Democratic supporters split their votes, hoping their congressional representatives had enough sense to be socially conservative and economically liberal. In the early sixties split-ticket voters were a...

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