| − | By 1980 President [[Jimmy Carter]] was nominated by the Democrats, while [[Ronald Reagan]], Governor of California, was nominated by the Republicans. Some who were not satisfied with the primaries results chose Illinois Congressman John Anderson. [[Ronald Reagan]], who was a skilled debater, managed to appear in two debates in 1980. One against Anderson and one against Carter. Carter apparently didn't want to debate against Anderson. The final debate between Carter and Reagan made Reagan look better than Carter. Carter appeared uncertain and made the mistake of saying that he asked his child for advice. Reagan however looked energized and confident. He made the famous quote near the end, "Next Tuesday [election day] all of you will go to the poles; you'll stand there . . . and make a decision. I think when you make that decision, it might be well if you ask yourself: Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Reagan's great communication skills in the debates were probably one thing that helped him to win the 1980 election agaisnt Carter and Anderson. | + | By 1980 President [[Jimmy Carter]] was nominated by the Democrats, while [[Ronald Reagan]], Governor of California, was nominated by the Republicans. Some who were not satisfied with the primaries results chose Illinois Congressman John Anderson. [[Ronald Reagan]], who was a skilled debater, managed to appear in two debates in 1980. One against Anderson and one against Carter. Carter apparently didn't want to debate against Anderson. The final debate between Carter and Reagan made Reagan look better than Carter. Carter appeared uncertain and made the mistake of saying that he asked his child for advice. Reagan however looked energized and confident. He made the famous quote near the end, "Next Tuesday [election day] all of you will go to the poles; you'll stand there . . . and make a decision. I think when you make that decision, it might be well if you ask yourself: Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Reagan's great communication skills in the debates were probably one thing that helped him to win the 1980 election agaisnt Carter and Anderson. |
| | + | President [[Ronald Reagan]] was still popular with America due to the change in economy and improvement in foreign relations. Former Vice President, [[Walter Mondale]], was nominated by the Democrats. To excite more support he chose woman [[Geraldine Ferraro]] as his running-mate. Reagan appeared in two debates. In the first one he appeared rather old and tired, instead of his usual confident self. By the second debate [[Ronald Reagan]] corrected his mistake and looked and sounded far better. It was during this debate he said, after Mondale mentioned Reagan's age and possible inability to lead, "I'm not going to exploit for political purposes my opponents youth and inexperience." <ref> [[Encyclopedia of Presidents, Ronald Reagan]], by Zachary Kent, Children's Press, 1989. </ref> There was only one debate between Vice President George Bush,Sr. and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro. Although both candidates did well, most voters believed Bush was the more successful debater. <ref> [[Encyclopedia of Presidents, George Bush]], by Zachary Kent, Children's Press, 1993. </ref> |