The Republican nomination
A former movie star and president of the Screen Actor’s Guild (1947-1952), Reagan was originally a Democrat but turned to Republican Party and was elected for the first of two terms as governor of California in 1966. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, and by the time of the 1980 elections, he had been wavering in one forum or another for nearly four years for that election. By the end of 1979, the list of Republican candidates had expanded to include senators. Howard Baker (Tennessee), Bob Dolé (Kansas), and Lowell Weicker (Connecticut); Representatives John Anderson and Philip Crane (both of Illinois); former Secretary of the Treasury and Texas governor John Connally; and former representative and Central Intelligence Agency director George Bush.
As the campaign developed, the most serious opposition to Reagan came from Bush, who gained support from moderate Republicans concerned that Reagan’s action conservatism could alienate the wider electorate. Bush won victories in the Iowa caucuses and in the MassachusettsPennsylvania and Michigan, but it quickly became clear that Reagan could not be stopped. The fight between Reagan and Bush was tense at times, with Bush declaring that his opponent should practice “voodoo economics” in order to increase federal revenues by lowering taxes. At a debate in Nashua, NH, staff animosity between Bush and Reagan broke out in public. A debate between the two was launched by the Nashua Telegraphbut this was considered a violation Federal Election Commission rules by excluding other candidates. Only three chairs were set up on the stage: for Bush, Reagan and a moderator. Reagan offered to pay for the other candidates to appear and brought Anderson, Baker, Crane and Dole on stage. The moderator, Jon Breen, laid down the ground rules for the debate, saying the other four candidates would not be allowed to speak until after the formal debate between Bush and Reagan. When Reagan attempted to protest, Breen demanded that his microphone be cut off, to which Reagan responded, “I’m paying for that microphone, Mr. Green (sic).” » He then left the stage with the other candidates, apparently in protest against Bush. Bush ultimately abandoned his presidential campaign for the Republican Party. appointment in May 1980 and supported Reagan.
By the time the Republican nomination convention began in Detroit, the only real suspense was over who Reagan would choose as his running mate. Would Reagan extend an olive branch to the party’s moderates by asking one of their number to join him on the list of candidates? Or would he strive for ideological “purity”? The first clue came in one of the most bizarre episodes in recent US political history, when Reagan flirted with the idea of choosing the former president. Gerald R. Fordwhose moderate credentials were considered strong. However, as the complexity of having a former president in second place became apparent, Reagan turned to Bush. This decision may have irritated some preservatives at first, but did no lasting damage to Reagan.
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Most outgoing presidents avoid having an opponent for their re-nomination, but Carter received opposition from the senator. Ted Kennedythe last surviving brother of the late Pres. John F. Kennedy. As Carter stands in the public opinion With polls dropping in 1978 and 1979, thanks in large part to his failure to solve the nation’s economic problems, Kennedy was widely seen as the logical Democratic candidate. alternative. Yet when the Massachusetts senator finally declared his candidacy in late 1979, his freewheeling liberalism and role in a fatal incident in ChappaquiddickMass. (when the car he was driving went off a bridge, killing Mary Jo Kopechne, his passenger), raised serious doubts about him among many voters. Carter and his collaborators exploited these doubts with considerable skill. Kennedy was also hurt by his rambling and incoherent response to a seemingly simple question asked by a reporter. Roger Mudd from CBS News: “Senator, why do you want to be president?
Jimmy Carter: peanut farmer, peace prize winner and presidentJimmy Carter is the longest-serving president in United States history.
The Carter camp was undoubtedly helped during the primaries by the Iran hostage crisiswhich began on November 4, 1979, exactly one year before the general election. Disciples of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiniwho had overturned the shah of Iran in 1978, stormed the American embassy in Tehranprotesting against the shah’s admission to UNITED STATES for the treatment of ultimately fatal cancer. Dozens of Americans who were inside the embassy at the time were taken hostage. Some were later released, but more than 50 remained hostages throughout 1980, despite the failure of a rescue operation ordered by Carter. It is axiomatic that Americans rally around a president in times of international crisis, and this is precisely what happened during the Democratic primaries, according to Kennedy’s obvious and frank statement. spite. Kennedy victories in a number of key states, including new York and California, were unable to stave off the inevitable. Although Kennedy did not have enough delegates to win the convention, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to “open it up” in an attempt to win the nomination. In the end, Carter, with the vice president. Walter Mondalewas reappointed during a turbulent Democratic convention in New York City this was punctuated by Kennedy avoiding shaking Carter’s hand at the podium.
