Question

As part of his blue-collar strategy, Nixon emphasized which cultural values?

- diversity and desegregation

- personal liberty and self-expression

- traditional sexual morality and gender norms

- patriotism and support for the Vietnam War

Answer 1

- traditional sexual morality and gender norms
- patriotism and support for the Vietnam War

Opposition to busing also boosted Nixon’s standing among white Northerners. However, his hopes to lure Northern blue-collar union voters from their traditional home in the Democratic Party also rested in the conviction that white ethnics shared his core cultural values. Nixon believed that patriotism, support for the Vietnam War, traditional sexual morality and gender norms, and antipathy toward the counterculture could unite people with different economic interests. Partway through his first term, he envisioned a “new coalition based on silent majority, blue-collar Catholics, Poles, Italians, [and] Irish.” Not all ethnic groups would join this coalition, Nixon warned his advisers: “No promise with Jews and Blacks.” Still, his blue-collar strategy could succeed by finding common cultural ground with enough of the participants in the ethnic revival of the times.

Answer 2

As part of his blue-collar strategy, Nixon emphasized traditional sexual morality and gender norms. He appealed to the values of the "silent majority" and sought to portray himself as a defender of traditional American values against the perceived excesses of the counterculture and anti-war movements. Nixon emphasized law and order, respect for authority, and opposition to permissiveness and moral relativism. He also appealed to working-class Americans with promises to protect their economic interests and create jobs.