ABSTRACT
The chapter argues that in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal good government reformers believed that the public fully backed efforts to expand the scope of public corruption prohibitions and to support procedures to prevent any future abuse of presidential power. This assumption proved badly mistaken. Within a short period of time, voters rejected the post-Watergate progressive agenda and moved to the right. Beginning in the late 1980s and continuing through the 2000s, post-Watergate good government reform initiatives came under assault in Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Large loopholes in federal campaign finance reform legislation effectively permitted special interests to poor unlimited amounts of funds into political campaigns. Government public corruption investigators and prosecutors faced increasing criticism for alleging going after high-profile public officials for engaging in traditional types of political activities. The narrative of the criminalization of public policy disputes gained widespread acceptance. This narrative seriously undercut good government reform efforts and paved the way for powerful special interests to regain influence with respect to the policy formulation and implementation process. The chapter argues that the intensification of moral polarization made it much more difficult for good government reformers to build a coalition to combat growing special interest power in American society.
