could anyone have beaten Reagan in 84?

[pstokely]

?

[Capn Sunshine]

1. yes. Carter

if he hadn't gotten screwed every which way from the FED to the Iranian back door deal

[Julien Sorel]

2. In 1984?

[tritsofme]

3. Well I still have attachments to Glenn,

but I dont know if anyone could have realistically beaten him.

Its sort of like asking if anyone could have beaten Clinton in 96, probably not.

[Julien Sorel]

5. Glenn was my guy in 1984.

But God, was he boring.

[Julien Sorel]

4. No.

But Hart would have been much less likely to drop 49 states, and he also would have started moving the party in a different direction, as a setup for 1988. I didn't like Hart at the time, but a few years later when I started looking at the campaign without being blinded by Reagan hatred, I learned an appreciation for what he was trying to do, what he's still trying to do. I now believe that Mondale in 1984 was a historical mistake for the Democrats, because they nominated him out of loyalty and because it was 'his turn,' rather than for what was good for the party. We're about 6 years and another electoral ass whipping behind where we should be as a result: getting rid of the people who are still living in the 60s, and who care less about winning and getting things done than they do about making a statement.

[megaplayboy]

6. Martin Luther King, Jr., maybe...

..if he were still alive. Would have been fun to watch Reagan's handlers try to spin their way out of debating him!

Otherwise, only Cuomo would have really been able to energize the base more, and had enough eloquence for citizens to see him as president.

[Octafish]

7. John Glenn

The former astronaut said "Ronald Reagan played 'Hellcats of the Navy' in a movie. I did that in real life." So, rather than put up a fight with the senile Pruneface, the Party Establishment backed the uninspired and uninspiring Veep Mondale.



Sen. Glenn later was ensnared by the felon Charles Keating and his "political viability" was compromised.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

8. No.

Reagan was hugely, massively popular at the time. This is why I have always found the Dean/Mondale comparisons to be dubious --- Bush is a completely polarizing figure, and the country is still very much divided evenly between those who love him and those who hate him. That's my perception anyway.

[Kahuna]

9. No! By 1984 Reagan was immensely popular...

He was unbeatable.

[Superfly]

10. Yeah, I could've beaten him.

But, I would have probably used a brick.