At some point, I'm going to put together an article on the 1980 election and how many Republicans at the time thought Reagan was too much of a loose canon to be president. Many establishment Republicans were shocked and despondent over the fact that the "ignorant rubes" of the rank-and-file of the party were going to reject their favored candidate (George Bush) and nominate this extremist warmonger who would either guarantee Jimmy Carter's re-election or worse, if elected, would surely blunder us into WW3.
Looking back from this vantage point, it seems preposterous now, but there was a time when Reagan was seen, like Trump today, as a clown, a B-movie actor (who co-starred with a chimp!), and a reckless cowboy who had no business seeking the presidency. Yes, he had been governor of California so he wasn't a political neophyte but that just fed into the perception of him as a "Hollywood type" who could not be trusted to run a nation.
As you probably know well, California was politically a completely different state in 1968 (when Reagan was elected there) than today. Orange County was probably more conservative than Texas is today.
So disturbed was the GOP establishment with Reagan's nomination that John Anderson, a congressman from Illinois, who was as RINO as you can get (they called them "Rockefeller Republicans" back in the day), ran a third party campaign against Reagan.
In Anderson's own words, he felt that the nation deserved an alternative to the "extremism" of Ronald Reagan. Backed by the GOPe machine, he got himself on the ballot in all 50 states, including Puerto Rico, and put quite a scare into the Reagan campaign, who feared he would split enough GOP votes away to hand Carter his re-election.
It almost happened. Anderson was high enough in the polls come September 1980 that he was invited to the presidential debate with Reagan and Carter.
Carter, the doofus that he was, refused to get on stage with Anderson, so the first presidential debate featured only Reagan and Anderson - with Carter sitting out. Many people don't remember this but that's exactly what happened.
Carter missed a golden opportunity here to split the GOP vote. Had he attended the debate, he would have elevated Anderson's status as a legitimate contender and that would have been to Reagan's detriment.
What happened instead was that by debating Anderson one-on-one, it was Reagan who elevated his status. Now picture the way American was back in 1980. There was no alternative media to speak of. No Internet. No cable TV news stations. Even talk radio was still in its infancy. The big three networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) controlled EVERYTHING along with the leftist print media (NYT, WashPost, Boston Globe, etc).
Aside from the national convention earlier that summer, this was the first time most Americans got to see Ronald Reagan live and unedited. They liked what they saw. They saw that Reagan was very well spoken and presidential, not at all like the reckless cowboy that the media was making him out to be. And Carter was huddling in the Rose Garden, nowhere to be seen. Reagan's foil was basically a fellow Republican, a lightweight RINO, and he dispatched him quite easily.
That was when the Reagan "surge" began. Up to that point, it appeared very likely that Carter would be re-elected and that Reagan had little chance. It is not unreasonable to believe that the election could have turned out differently if Carter had decided to debate both Anderson and Carter.
Will be interesting to see if the GOPe attempts the same third party shenanigans should Trump be nominated. Perhaps this was what Trump had in mind when he signed that pledge not to run third party. I assume the other candidates had to sign it as well.
Thank you for the nice response and kind comments. I’m glad we can agree on these matters.
Your thoughts on the 1980 workup revealing how many people saw Reagan, is something I had considered doing myself. It’s a worthy project. It’s very relevant.
Yes there were folks who were sure Reagan was an unqualified loose cannon. Honestly, there was a contingent in the midst of the Republcian establishment that spewed this rhetoric for his full eight years in office. They not only focused on international relations, but the domestic arena with the flight controllers, and even morphed to take him on about his age, mental faculties, and capabilities.
Yes, California was much different back then. It was a middle class state with tremendous potential. At one point it was the fourth economic power in the world on it’s own.
I am particularly proud of my home town and region. Within 10 miles of my home, the SR-71 and many other amazing aircraft were designed and built. The F22 was also conceived and drawn up there. Like so many ohter businesses, Lockheed moved out of state. Indy race cars were created in my home town. Howard Hughs, Amelia Earhart, and others had hangers and flew out of here. The Rose Parade eminates from five miles away. There the Rose Bowl also exists, just a few miles South of JPL. Red Skelton made the San Fernando valley more famous with his “San Fernando Fred” bum character. The Los Angeles Dodgers play ball within that ten miles. Bob’s Big-Boy restaurants started here. Bob Hope lived within ten miles. John Wayne grew up here.
Move out to 25 miles and it’s hard to list all the important things that went on in this area. Some of them still do.
Aircraft, personal computers, amazing technology was developed in the state, much of it on my doorstep. The agriculture in the state was second to none. Most folks don’t realize the impact California has/had on the nation’s food supply.
The state has some of the best naural resource ports in the world. It’s geography and landscape is amazingly diverse. Beaches, mountains, volcanoes, mammoth trees, natural landscape treasures, the highest and the lowers elevations in the lower 48 states. You can ski in the morning and lay on the beach in the same afternoon. Each of us could go on and on about our town or home state, but I believe California is a very special place.
Now there are places within the 25 mile ring, I can’t go at night in my own nation. That is the sad state of affairs.
This, the state and federal government opted to give away. There hasn’t been a Republican presidential candidate who seriously competed for the state since Reagan did it in 1984. They don’t show up her for more than one token day, and that day they attend a big fund-raiser, and leave the state never to return. They pick up tens of millions and spend it elsewhere every time.
This hurts the state, because more than a generation has come and gone since Conservatism was sold here with a loud voice. Think about that for a miniute. A child of ten at Reagan’s last campaign appearance in California, hasn’t heard Conservatism sold here since then from the mouth of our nominated presidential contender. Next hear those former ten year olds will be 42, having never heard a national figure explain the virtues of Conservatism to them. Donald Trump will very likely take the state. It will be the first time since Reagan. (I believe that’s true)
Yes, Orange country was very Conservative. Bob Dornian was the Orange County Congressman until the House leadership betrayed him for Loretta Sanchez. Illegal immigrants were caught voting in that election. The House had the authority to order a new election, but instead they seated Sanchez, handing Orange county over to the likes of her. Of course the demographics were changing too, what with all the illegals being unloaded in the area. All this under the watchful eye of Democrats in and out of state, with Republicans in and out of state watching too. Nobody lifted a finger to help save a truly “World Class” state.
The biggest and best ports on this side of the Pacific, the geographical, and assetts in the state, and our nation didn’t give a hoot if they were lost to Mexico or anarchist’s Aztlan.
I don’t recally the Anderson dynamic like you do. I remember the guy clearly, but as to what transpired in that time frame, I probably never tuned in, at least not to the degree you seem to have. Kudos to you.
That Carter dynamic is very clear the way you lay it out there. I agree, that was a monumental mistake.
I’m not sure what the GOPe has up it’s sleeve. It has something. There is too much riding on this for them to let this slide. And don’t forget, we’re likely talking at least four an possibly eight years. And I’m not sure if the party will survive. I’ll never trust it again. With Cruz following on, if both Trump and he serve us well, the GOPe will be out of the power game for a heck of a long time.
Great comments....