The intensity of opposition on the right became clear in the 1976 Republican presidential primary. Former California Governor Ronald Reagan’s challenge to President Gerald Ford was flailing when he began blasting Ford for calling for negotiations with Panama. Reagan denounced any compromise as a giveaway of American sovereignty in the face of international challenges and these calls helped resurrect his campaign. Although Ford eventually triumphed narrowly, Reagan demonstrated the political potential of using U.S. control of the canal to signal support for American hegemony in a way that energized and united different factions on the right.
Jimmy Carter ended up winning the presidency that year, and he promised during the campaign not to cede control of the canal. Yet, he changed his mind after winning the election and in September 1977, he signed treaties that would turn the canal over to Panama at the turn of the millennium.
Right-wing opponents of the move began organizing to oppose ratification even before negotiators had finished hashing out the terms of the agreement. Once Carter signed the treaties, it kicked off an all-out mobilization that brought together a previously uneasy coalition of right-wing groups—including the rabidly anticommunist conspiracy theory-laden John Birch Society (JBS), Phyllis Schlafly’s growing antifeminist and pro-America conservative group, and those aligned with formerly vocal segregationists like North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms.
The JBS unleashed mailing labels and bumper stickers demanding, “Don’t Give Panama Our Canal! Give Them [Henry] Kissinger [Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford’s Secretary of State] Instead!” Meanwhile, Schlafly joined Loeb and other conservative leaders on the Emergency Committee to Save the U.S. Canal Zone to lambast any cession of the Canal as threatening the nation’s security. They cohered around “Keeping the Canal" — despite disagreeing on other matters with fellow members, such as the antisemitic Pedro del Valle. Likewise, activist and operative Paul Weyrich spent around $100,000 on his own “Keep the Canal” efforts even as he worked against legalized abortion and in favor of slashing business regulations.
The effort became a centerpiece of a burgeoning push to grow the grassroots conservative movement using a new technique: direct mail. One of the pioneers of the industry, Richard Viguerie, was an expert in discovering issues that could arouse emotional responses and generate donations and support for a variety of conservative causes. He understood that the fight over the Canal was one of his best issues. He blasted out ‘Keep the Canal’ materials all across the country.