<u>Answers to your questions</u>:
<em>Which was part of Reagan's political agenda as he campaigned for the presidency in 1980?</em>
<h2>decreasing the size of the federal government</h2>
<em>During his campaign, Ronald Reagan called for a constitutional amendment to reverse Roe v. Wade. What group of voters responded most positively to Reagan's position on this issue?</em>
<h2>conservative Christians</h2>
<u>Historical details</u>:
In his campaign for the presidency in 1980, Ronald Reagan promised to decrease taxes and reduce the size of the federal government. He also promised to improve the economy, restore faith in the nation, and make the US military stronger
In his inaugural address in 1981, Reagan said, "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." He talked much about lowering taxes and reducing the role government played in solving people's problems. He pushed for huge tax cuts in 1981 ... but then the government deficit soared and Congress (with President Reagan's signature) passed laws raising taxes again in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1987 -- undoing much of the original tax cutting that had been done in 1981.
During Reagan's presidency, there were improvements in the economy and strong positive national feelings. But while Reagan talked about smaller government, federal government expenditure got bigger during Reagan's presidency, as it did under all presidencies in the second half of the 20th century. It's hard to promise smaller government and at the same time increase military spending (which was a Reagan priority). Federal government spending has gone up by about 2.3% (on average) under all presidents since World War II. It just depended on what programs they spent their money on. For Reagan, the priority was military spending.
As for Reagan's promises about a constitutional amendment to reverse Roe v. Wade, those promises played well with conservative Christians, who supported him. And while in office as president, Reagan continued to make many powerful statements against abortion. But he did not actively push for political or judicial action to change the laws concerning abortion in the country. <em>President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, </em>a biography written by Lou Cannon (1991), stated: "While I do not doubt Reagan’s sincerity in advocating an anti-abortion amendment, he invested few political resources toward obtaining this goal."
