What would the Religious Right have done if Ford defeated Carter in 1976?

You mean reach out to them in the same way that Carter did? Maybe, but it wouldn't lead to any long-term alliance between the Religious Right and the Democrats, any more than Carter's OTL overtures did. Even a relative conservative like Carter had said that he supported Roe V. Wade, and you're not gonna find many Democrats at the presidential level willing to go any further right on such issues.
 
In 1976 and 1978 many politicians insisted abortion was a religious issue and religion does not belong in politics. I recall a pro-life Democrat in my district running for congress in 1980. An issue at the time was Iran and it solidified some anti-Islamic sentiment. That sentiment became pro-war and pro-life. I'm not sure if a Ford presidency at the time could have skirted the current life/choice alignment, but with no President Reagan and a strong Democrat in the early eighties, it could have remained secondary. But for how long? Though poorly organized at the time, Libertarian movements at the time were strongly pro-choice, pro-drugs, pro-guns and anti-government control. Their economic policies were extremely incomplete, owing from the carry-over from belated hippies. You had a period where reduced control made some sense, so it is hard to predict the outcome.
 
"What galvanized the Christian community was not abortion, school prayer, or the ERA. I am living witness to that because I was trying to get those people interested in those issues and I utterly failed. What changed their minds was Jimmy Carter’s intervention against the Christian schools, trying to deny them tax-exempt status on the basis of so-called de facto segregation."--Paul Weyrich https://books.google.com/books?id=Tzi7bIDP3aMC&pg=PA173
 
A second term of Ford likely translates into more pro-choice or at worst more big tent plus even more anti-gun control reps than OTL. Remember, Ford was the most pro-choice and anti-gun control republican POTUS.
 
"What galvanized the Christian community was not abortion, school prayer, or the ERA. I am living witness to that because I was trying to get those people interested in those issues and I utterly failed. What changed their minds was Jimmy Carter’s intervention against the Christian schools, trying to deny them tax-exempt status on the basis of so-called de facto segregation."--Paul Weyrich https://books.google.com/books?id=Tzi7bIDP3aMC&pg=PA173
Would Ford crack down on the tax exemptions, and if so, how would the Evangelical react to the presence or absence of such a crackdown under a Republican President?
 
"What galvanized the Christian community was not abortion, school prayer, or the ERA. I am living witness to that because I was trying to get those people interested in those issues and I utterly failed. What changed their minds was Jimmy Carter’s intervention against the Christian schools, trying to deny them tax-exempt status on the basis of so-called de facto segregation."--Paul Weyrich https://books.google.com/books?id=Tzi7bIDP3aMC&pg=PA173
Surprises me.

But I remember a quote from someone who was an evangelical in the 1970s during his teenage years. And there was a visiting speaker talking about tax exempt status for Christian colleges. And the audience ate it up, because they kind of thought of Christian institutions as this pristine world apart. (this quote may gave been in a Randall Balmer article, but I’m not sure)

At the same time . . .

By 1978, evangelicals were sincere on the issue of abortion, even if they were johnny-come-lately as compared to Catholics.
 
I’m (sadly) a Bob Jones University graduate...BJU notoriously fought keeping their interracial dating ban all the way to the Supreme Court and lost their tax exempt status as a result.

Falwell was in tight with the Joneses and Liberty was way more like BJU in the early days. However, Falwell (and the Moral Majority) realized that the segregation battle wasn’t as expedient a political wedge issue as abortion and went in that direction, leaving BJU out to dry.

Little of what the Moral Majority did was about preserving morality but rather more about political expediency and power.
 
Would Ford crack down on the tax exemptions, and if so, how would the Evangelical react to the presence or absence of such a crackdown under a Republican President?
He would, and to a bigger degree than Carter. Ford doesn't have being an evangelical to make him more sympathetic.

The RR? Likely doesn't either start working with the catholics on abortion(no open political opportunities for them to use the new coaltion) or expand it's involvememt(both parties are clearly of the devil in their view...), so stays out
 
I understand Bob Jones, Jr. really let his freak flag fly.

I mean, we all have negative thoughts from time to time. But he expressed his in very public ways.

Junior died about a month into my freshman year so I didn’t get to hear him speak personally more than a couple of times.

His son, Bob III, was in charge and he’s a real piece of work. Junior had some degree of charm about him but III is just pure crotchety old man. Every message he preached from the pulpit was just him complaining.
 
. . but III is just pure crotchety old man. Every message he preached from the pulpit was just him complaining.
Surprised he didn’t get more yin-yang going, the sinful nature of each of us, salvation through faith in Jesus, that kind of thing.

I was a very sincere Christian for about two of my formative teenage years. These days, I’m comfortably agnostic thank you very much :) , but still familiar with the language.

Actually it may have been Bob III. The incident I’m thinking of is when he referred to First Lady Betty Ford as a slut.

I never heard about it till years later. Apparently, it was during some speech at the school. And—Holy Shit! Well, okay Bob, tell us how you really feel.
 
Surprised he didn’t get more yin-yang going, the sinful nature of each of us, salvation through faith in Jesus, that kind of thing.

I was a very sincere Christian for about two of my formative teenage years. These days, I’m comfortably agnostic thank you very much :) , but still familiar with the language.

Actually it may have been Bob III. The incident I’m thinking of is when he referred to First Lady Betty Ford as a slut.

I never heard about it till years later. Apparently, it was during some speech at the school. And—Holy Shit! Well, okay Bob, tell us how you really feel.

Well, Junior was just as bad...just more eloquent about it. I do think he was the one who made the slut comment as well as calling the Pope antichrist many times. And don’t even get me started on their love affair with Ian Paisley and how many times he was on campus to speak.

I do wonder how different the Moral Majority would have been had the Bobs stayed in...they’d have had to abandon their interracial dating ban three decades early. But they were so laser focused on theological purity and separation from other like minded people on minor issues that they’d have never tolerated the compromises Falwell could make to be politically relevant.
 
Would they still be Republican-leaning or might the Democratic nominee reach out to them in 1980?

Probably still right-leaning though not as powerful. 1976 has a poisoned chalice feel to it though not everyone agrees. The GOP winning in ‘76 screws them in the 80s and I reckon a more left-leaning Dem would take the helm and pretty much dominate the 80s
 

Marc

Donor
One of those interesting branching offs is that without Carter, there is a very good chance you don't get Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court in the 1990's
 
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Well, Junior was just as bad...just more eloquent about it. I do think he was the one who made the slut comment as well as calling the Pope antichrist many times. And don’t even get me started on their love affair with Ian Paisley and how many times he was on campus to speak. . .
Who the heck is Ian Paisley? ! ? :openedeyewink:

I'm assuming British. And from the context, I'm assuming probably not the most optimistic nor the most inclusive chap.
 
One of those interesting branching offs is that without Carter, there is a very good chance you don't get Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court in the 1990's

How so? The 80s would belong to the Dems and I reckon the early 90s could still include a two term presidency by them
 

Marc

Donor
How so? The 80s would belong to the Dems and I reckon the early 90s could still include a two term presidency by them

Carter nominated Ginsberg for United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit where she served until going to the Supreme Court. Breyer was likewise nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. These were crucial positions for both judges in their respective careers.
It's certainly possible that they would have moved to the top regardless, but given the intense level of selection (normally) for these just below the Supreme Court benches, it's quite likely that they don't.
Life is hugely a matter of timing as we all know.
 
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