ELECTIONS ARE COMING: ROMNEY VS. OBAMA…REAGAN VS. CARTER REDUX
By mid October in 1980 Carter had closed the gap in the early lead of Ronald Reagan.
Carter, was defensive and stopped holding White House press conferences.He raised questions about Reagan’s competency, portrayed him as an extremist who would split the nation along racial and religious lines. Carter pummeled Reagan taking the heat and the attention off his own dismal record in domestic as well as foreign policy.
Reagan became more focused in his attacks on Carter and the enormous differences in their agendas. Carter supported crippling environmental regulations; claimed that the economy was “recovering” with starts in housing and business. Reagan countered that environmental laws were hampering the economy and slowing job growth. He vowed to cut taxes, shrink government and balance the budget.
His famous line when challenged was:
“Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his”
The polls were jumping all over the place. The liberal media was in high gear painting Reagan as a warmonger and lightweight. Reagan rebounded in the debate of October 28, 1980.
When Jimmy brought up Reagan’s long standing opposition to Medicare, Regan delivered the blow to the solar plexus of the Democratic platform:
“Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?”
The rest is history.
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