Posted on 11/04/2014 1:54:52 AM PST by SMGFan
November 4, 1980 was a great day when Jimmy Carter was soundly rejected and GOP defeated a huge numbers of incumbent Democrat Senators. a 12 seat pickup. Sadly 6 years later many of these GOP Senators were defeated.
Remember it well. It was one of the best days of my life, ever. I was honored to be the phone bank chairman for Lincoln Parish (county) here in North Louisiana. I can still recall the stunned appearance of Walter Cronkite and the NYT’s Tom Wicker that night.
About a month after Reagan's landslide, John Lennon was shot to death. That affected me much more greatly at the time. Some 35 years later, I hardly think about John Lennon at all but I think about Reagan constantly.
I spent election night 1980 in an apartment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, surrounded by a bunch of embassy staffers; I felt like a fish out of water. Was I ever wrong. Those State Department kids amazed me. AS a state’s final vote was announced, the hostess had a cut-out of the state placed on a much larger blank US map. By the time Carter conceded, there was general glee.
I was just a wink in my daddy’s eye in 1980.
On this day 30 years ago, I was a 13 months old, Ronald Reagan was reelected in one of the great landslides, I’m sure it was called very early, shortly after 8 eastern perhaps, he lost only DC, and by a scant margin, the home state of his foe, he’d have carried it if he tried.
But oh what a lonely landslide the 2nd one was was, we lost 2 net in the Senate (with Al Gore easily taking Baker’s open seat) and in the House, though I’m told Reagan carried 370(!) Congressional districts, only 181 of them elected Republicans (less than half!!! and 1 Republican was elected in a Mondale district, Bill Green in Manhattan).
We could end up with as many as 250 House seats this January, Ronnie wasn’t old enough to vote the last time there were more (270 elected in 1928). Gotta think he’s smiling somewhere.
I was 10 watching the ‘84 returns (probably on NBC), rooting for Fritz and Titz. I was so convinced (thanks to my biased Commie Granny, the media and the like) that Mondale was gonna romp. When he lost in a landslide, that was like a well-deserved slap across the face. Although my conversion wouldn’t occur for 2 more years, it did begin to cause me to reassess reality, something for which the left refuses to do. Of course, my excuse was that I was a child. Any grown-up that subscribes to that mindset has no excuse.
I remember being woken up by the ranting of my useless as*hole of a father trying to argue with both my mother and the TV that Carter won. It was probably 6:30-ish AM; don’t think he was bombed yet. Must have been hungover.
But it was a great day, even for a little kid.
I hope I have to piss the next time I go to the cemetery...
The media didn’t mention the polls? Even Granny must have realized Mondale would lose.
Chanting **** Dukakis in 1988 during the rat convention is my first political memory by far.
In 1992 I remember the class having a mock election, I wanted to pick Perot but didn’t know how to spell it.
I was 11 in 1994, I have no memories of the returns but “Jim Edgar” was stuck in my head (I told my grandma that the Governor of the Zoo was Jim Ed-grrrrrrr or something like that ;p) and Republicans taking Congress was discussed in some class where you supposed to bring in a newspaper article to discuss, it wasn’t graded so I never brought one. Some kid said it was good Congress could stop Clinton “from doing something too crazy”.
It was really 1996 before I began to pay attention.
It was hard to overstate how badly she suffered from RDS (Reagan or Republican Derangement Syndrome). It colored her sanity. She claimed it flowed from hearing some Republican pol either in the late ‘20s or early ‘30s joking about the Depression or jobless people and she hated them ever since.
It got so bad that when I pointed out her cousin (the Mayor of St. Louis and 1932 U.S. Senate nominee) Henry Kiel was a Republican, she denied it and said he was a Democrat. I mean bat$hit crazy stuff. I told her I’d swap my execrable Senators Gore and Sasser for Pete Domenici and she’d go on a wild rant. Unfortunately, her daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter all got the brainwashing treatment from her so all subscribe to the nonsense. Her daughter (my aunt) is a White supporter of La Raza.
Watching the election returns in 1988 was less dramatic for me, as I expected Bush to win, and he did with little problem (but let’s face it, it was Reagan’s 3rd term). Of course, that was also the last time the country voted sanely across the board in a Presidential race. It was also the last time the Republicans had a ruthless campaign manager in Lee Atwater. His death the party has never fully recovered from. Atwater would’ve obliterated the Clintons had he been around for the ‘92 race.
“she denied it and said he was a Democrat.”
Ok, so she was actually friggin delusional. Wow.
You sure lost the granny lottery.
Your Aunt is that the one affiliated with Peace and Freedom party or was that your half-sister?
Half-sister. Marsha Feinland, the P&F Presidential nominee in 1996 was at her wedding. I think she may have introduced us, but by the end of the day, I was so tired that I could’ve been introduced to Hitler and wouldn’t have noticed.
Well, in an alternate universe where Marsha Feinland (Jewish?) was able to get elected to something, maybe she is a Hitler (or Stalin).
I helped re-elect him. My second Presidential election.
Reagan was also my FIRST Presidential election, and I am honored and privileged to have been able to be a part of electing the American Man who set the bar for what a President SHOULD be.
And this past Tuesday was a giant American middle finger to the current _resident... who most assuredly is NOT anything comparable.
As for “smiling somewhere”... he’ll smile IF McConnell and Boehner show a set of testicles. Because Ronaldus Magnus, were he here, would tell them both: either Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell out of the way.
If they can’t or are too afraid to get it done, then we need Ted Cruz as Senate Majority Leader, and Trey Gowdy as House Speaker.
Did your pants get tight voting for him?
Mine would have, 100%! I’d have needed a diaper.
Ping to 34.
My dad voted twice in his life, once was 1984 for Reagan and RINO Senator Chuck Percy (who lost). Other time was Bush 2004 and I think he voted for Alan Keyes too.
Neither of my brothers have ever voted, the little sh*ts.
I tell you the GOP candidates I’ve been “privileged” to vote for are Bush Jr., McPain and Mitt.
I’d (almost!) give my left testicle to vote for someone like Reagan or Calvin Coolidge.
I was one day old that November 4th so yeah, I was too young to remember.
It was the haircut... Got to admit it...
Hahaha!!!
I sunk the 8, took his money and laughed my *** off.
Reagan was a whole eight years of fresh air.
Guys like Reagan only come along once in several lifetimes.
He was a Statesman, not just a politician. Like Jefferson.
Yeah, he had his flaws and faults too... but people TRUSTED him to do the right thing for the Country. That’s huge, and not something to be taken lightly. He didn’t have contempt for us, for the traditions, heritage, and culture of the Country; he loved and respected it. And it showed.
As far as I can remember, people did NOT go to the polls saying “damn I hate voting for the lesser of two evils” when he ran against Carter and then Mondale.
People voted FOR Reagan more than they voted against Carter and Mondale.
My take, looking back, anyway.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.