[Leaning Right]

> “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” <

If you take a look at a clip of that, you can see Mondale smiling in the background. Mondale was Reagan’s opponent, but he still appreciated the joke. How I miss those days, when Democrats were pretty much normal. A bit to the left, but still decent people.

For those not in the know, here’s the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJhCjMfRndk

[Berlin_Freeper]

A normal doofus.

[erkelly]

I remember watching the last debate between Reagan and Mondale, which I think was very shortly before the election. At the very end of the end of the debate, Mr. Mondale looked directly into the camera and said that if he was elected, he would try to always do what was best for this country. I believed him, I suddenly thought he was a totally sincere and honorable man, and things would be okay if he was elected. I voted for President Reagan but I did feel that Mondale loved this country and the ship of state would not capsize if he was elected. I don’t think Mondale would have been nearly as good as Reagan was of course, and I am very glad that Reagan won. But I believe that Vice President Walter Mondale would have been a far far better president than either of those democrat presidents who followed him (Clinton and Obama.)

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

“I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

If you take a look at a clip of that, you can see Mondale smiling in the background.

Reagan was off his game early in the debates, and the question Sam Donaldson asked was intended to put a fork in his reelection bid. Donaldson said later that his heart sank when he saw Reagan’s expression when he heard the question, perceiving that Reagan had an answer ready for it.

Watching the debate in real time, I saw that Reagan’s riposte was so obviously funny that it put Mondale in a bind. He would look bad if he didn’t laugh at it - and at the same time, he really had nothing else going for him besides Reagan’s age. His campaign was in trouble if he didn’t laugh, but his campaign was finished if he did allow himself to laugh at it. He smiled - and he lost.