![]() ![]() Unable to lift the nation’s spirits, Carter’s “Scrooge” was no match for Reagan’s “Santa Claus. His telegenic charisma, unapologetic patriotism (“Make America great again” became a campaign slogan) and sanguine vision overwhelmed an incumbent prone to scolding the public for its profligate ways. ![]() Critics pounced on his gaffes questioning evolution and asserting that vegetation caused pollution, but, as with Trump, Reagan’s backers cared little about these blunders or his nescience over public affairs. Its now been 20 years since an insurgent has won the. He was followed by other insurgents: McGovern in 1972, Carter in 1976, Reagan in 1980. Reagan’s biggest handicap was his tendency to blurt mistakes and falsehoods - one commentator said he had a “very loose hold on the real world around him” - when going off-script. Goldwater beat his partys establishment in 1964. Though he, too, strove to steer the party away from the “country club big business image” epitomized by Nelson Rockefeller, Reagan never projected a cutthroat persona, earning the public’s affection over Carter, who came off as increasingly coldhearted. Conservatives were fortunate to have Reagan serve as the prophet delivering their radical message. At the heart of the story is Barry Goldwater, the renegade Republican from Arizona who loathed federal government, despised liberals, and mocked peaceful. ![]()
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