Posted on 01/27/2016 7:39:23 AM PST by dangus
Ronald Reagan had nearly defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford, and had the Republican establishment had to vote heavily for Ford to outweigh the elected delegates in order to nominate Ford. Reagan adopted a strategy of avoiding the establishment events altogether, not just the Iowa debate. And he went on to lose Iowa. And he plummeted in the polls in Massacusetts and South Carolina.
In New Hampshire, Reagan shifted tactics. He realized he needed to debate... and defeat... Bush. The Nashua Telegraph agreed to sponsor a debate between Bush and Reagan. Careful not to violate RNC rules, Reagan instead offered to pay for the debate, and invite other candidates. Bush was surprised to find other candidates in attendance, so Reagan went to the mic to explain what was going on.
Famously, the sound engineer tried to cut Reagan off, leading to Reagan demanding, “I’m paying for this microphone, Mr. Green.†The debate ensued between Bush and Reagan, and Reagan trounced Bush in the debate, winning New Hampshire.
But while eventually his demand to Mr. Green became legendary, the damage was done. Bush and Anderson pulled even in many Northern states, and Connelly pulled even in many southern states. Reagan finished only third Massachusetts, won an incredibly close three-war race in Vermont, and was losing to Connelly in South Carolina. Lee Atwater’s “dirty tricks†were needed to rescue the Reagan candidacy. Connally quit the race in disgust.
Fortunately for Reagan, Bush and Anderson had abandoned the South, leaving Reagan essentially unopposed in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and Louisiana.
He still had a much tougher go of it than he imagined. Reagan won by modest margins in Illinois and Wisconsin, and easily won in Kansas. Bush beat him in Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
Finally, on May 3rd, Reagan eeked out a narrow win in Texas over Bush, and Anderson withdrew, eventually running as an independent. Finally, that broke Bush’s back. He would still trounce Reagan in Michigan, but Reagan finally was winning state after state.
Reagan didn’t attend the debate moderated by the Des Moines Register, a liberal newspaper that was out to get him.
Trump is following the Reagan playbook.
But Reagan was stupid, you see, because somehow skipping Iowa almost cost him the election.
Nice summary dangus.
The only differences I can point to this time is that Iowa is Cruz or Trump...
The “debate” is not an isolated event, since Trump is holding another competing event.
Trump has not been dependent on the debates for exposure.
PS - I miss Reagan.
We are currently living in strange times... there is no comparison to Reagan’s win or loss due to debates or media. Today, the media is the enemy and the people out here have long awaited the time when someone took them to the woodshed.
Today’s voters.. many of them... are so fed up with the media that they do not stand a chance of sympathy or trust. Trump didn’t walk out on them because he just didn’t want to appear... he left them because they were attacking, snide remarks, daring him to not attend.. and had him in their cross hairs. Iowans will not side with Fox...they will choose Cruz or Trump just like they would have if there had been no debate.... either one is a good choice.
Bush in 1980, Santorum, Huckabee... Iowa is just not that relevant.
Not a chance.
I was living in MN in 1980 and the energy for Reagan was nearly equal to Trump in 2016.
People openly talked about Reagan being the next President a year before it happened.
Iowa was a non-issue
Reagan won in a landslide. It wasn’t even close.
Iowa has always been irrelevant.
Yeah, but it didn’t. Results matter.
Hmmmm.
FLASHBACK: Ronald Reagan Skipped Last Debate Before IA Caucus - Went on to Win in Landslide
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3389188/posts
Trump’s won all the debates on practiceally all the pools out there. He’s been there, done that.
Watch the presser; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjSisr_RWE&t=26m51s
Calling Fox’s bluff is an absolutely brilliant move by Trump. It will DOMINATE the news cycle for days. Trump leads the media by their nose ring wherever he wants them to go. That is what he means when he says he’ll get along and work with Pelosi and democrats. It’s a textbook example of leadership. We haven’t seen this kind of leadership for so long many - even here on FR - don’t recognize it.
Carter was not going to win that. Not after Choppers in the Desert and the whole Iran thing going south.
And Ted Cruz is nearly an American.
The precedent has been set...Trump could do a lot worse than being compared to Reagan.
Read the article... it’s about the primary.
Different times. The Big Difference now is that someone like Trump has Social Media to get out his message and to be able to counter attack the MSM.
36 years ago Reagan and other candidates had no such outlets to defend and attack with. Trump has proven himself the master of Social Media and also at being able to manipulate the MSM in a way never thought possible.
“People openly talked about Reagan being the next President a year before it happened.”
... and yet, Reagan lost Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, Maine... Had he not narrowly won Texas, it probably would’ve wound up another floor fight.
Your headline is very misleading even for a vanity post.
Reagan did not “skip” Iowa. He campaigned hard in Iowa but saw no need to open himself up to the idiotic caucuses. He forced Ford to defend what should have been a gimme. Later as you note Ford don’t don’t even try at all in some states.
Isn’t there a section on TR for vanity posts?
He won in a landslide....
>> The Big Difference now is that someone like Trump has Social Media to get out his message and to be able to counter attack the MSM. <<
This part is certainly correct... but here’s where you get in trouble:
>> 36 years ago Reagan and other candidates had no such outlets to defend and attack with. <<
In fact, Reagan set up a one-on-one debate with his own money against George H. W. Bush in New Hampshire. He invited, then disinvited (to resolve a misunderstanding with Bush) Connelly, Anderson, etc. He trounced Bush, and went on to win New Hampshire.
And he still almost lost.
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