| − | 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 daughter, Amy, 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 daughter, Amy, for advice on [[Nuclear weapons|nuclear armament]] policy. 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. |