It's funny. When I was eight, my father asked me if I wanted to come along with him one weekend while he was distributing literature for Jimmy Carter. I told him I didn't even know what Carter stood for - how could I help "sell" him to people?
My father said you're absolutely right, there's going to be a debate this week - you can stay up and watch it and see what you think.
I remember watching Ronald Reagan and thinking "this guy is absolutely right and Carter doesn't make any sense!" I told my Dad he should give out flyers for Reagan instead. He declined.
Of course, 20+ years later, Bill Clinton finally got on my Dad's last nerve and he's been quietly Republican since 1992.
The only presidents I knew about before Reagan were Carter and Nixon. I didn't turn 18 til 1984. Nixon left office in disgrace, then Carter made us feel like America's best days were behind her. Reagan came to prominence in the run against Carter, and when I heard Reagan speak to his convention, it was like a new day dawning for the country. His optimism was so incredibly contagious, and he made me feel so proud to be American. My first voting year was 1984, and it felt good to mark my ballot for the man I'll always consider Mr. President.
I had one of the younger men in my office the other day telling me that "everytime Republicans get the presidency, the economy goes south". We had a little history lesson on just how awful the economy was during Carter.