The 1978 election did not elicit much response at the time. Most believed that the status quo had been maintained, with Democrats the dominant party in both houses of Congress. However, the reality was that for the first time since 1974 Republicans made gains. There was a lot of turnover in both houses, 77 in the House and 20 in the Senate, though the net GOP gain was only three Senators and about 14 Representatives (including Newt Gingrich). The numbers do not tell the story, though, of the ideological shift that took place that year - a move to the right.
One Senator saw it coming:
Senator Thomas J. McIntyre of New Hampshire. He would lose his bid for re-election in 1978 to Gordon Humphrey, a Republican who ran his campaign with the help of the Conservative Caucus. But months before, in a column penned for the
Washington Post on March 3, 1978, Sen. McIntyre had this to say about the New Right:
The New Right cannot comprehend how people of opposing viewpoints can find common ground and work together. For them, there is no common ground. And this, in my judgment, is the best indication of what they truly are -- radicals whose aim is not to compete with honor and decency, not to compromise when necessary to advance the common good, but to annihilate those they see as "enemies."
My concern is the desperate need for people of conscience and good will to stand up and face down the bully boys of the radical New Right before the politics of intimidation does to America what it has tried to do to New Hampshire.
So I say to my colleagues:
If you want to see the reputations of decent people sullied, stand aside and be silent.
If you want to see people of dignity, integrity and self-respect refuse to seek public office for fear of what might be conjured or dredged up to attack them or their families, stand aside and be silent.
If you want to see confidential files rifled, informants solicited, universities harassed, "enemy hit lists" drawn up, stand aside and be silent.
For years, Democrats were too arrogant to believe they could be challenged and remained silent. Now, they are so scared of the Right they stand aside and get run over. McIntyre saw it coming, and it is long past time for our elected representatives to stand up and make some noise.