I believe the actual was about 6 to 8 in late October 1980. The issue at the time was there was a corresponding NBC-AP poll that had Reagan up by a similar amount. Carter's main undoing was his abysmal job approval ratings. Obama is in better shape than Carter, but he's still south of 50% approval.
I wonder what enthusiasm for the candidates was in 1980 though. 81 million voted in 1980 vs. 132 million in 2008. Maybe so many people were lukewarm on Carter they just didn’t show up even though they told pollsters they would.
We probably have less undecided now due to how hot the political climate has been in the last 15 years and how both sides have dedicated media sources to develop their loyalty. So there probably aren’t many who will switch their vote at the last minute, if that’s what could’ve happened in 1980.
It was a HELL of a lot more than just job approval ratings......see if this sound as familiar in today's world as it was back in 1980......
Maybe it was when Carter told the American people that we were in a Malaise, that the next generation will be worse off then their parents for the 1st time, that we will just have to get use to it, or the hostages in Iran for over a year (444 days total) and ....
offering every home a pitiful $300.00 rebate to help pay for:
High gas prices,
High Interest rates,
high food prices, etc....... was what really pushed people to switch.
While I was being told Life Sucks get use to it you have no future.....
Ronald Reagan was out there telling us our best days were ahead not behind us, that we shouldn't settle for less because we are American's and we are a part of the greatest country on this Earth. That people come to our shores to live the American dream, where you can lift yourself up by your own two hands and go as far as your dreams will take you............
Nahhhhh...that wasn't it..... We just wanted to see what a new guys picture would look like in the White House because it was time to re-decorate and why not choose a movie star to class up the place.....< sarc >
God Bless Ronald Reagan he made me believe in America Again......And I'll be damned if I let a Communist Kenyan pretend American take that away from my kids.
Do whatever it take to kick this POS out of our White House and drain the swamp we call Washington DC of his kind.....