2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forum(As I said) - Mitt Mondale: The agony of a Political Party bent on electoral suicide.
April DU post, as marked.
BLOWOUT 1984.
1984: Fritz - 'I will raise your taxes'.
2012: Mitt - I will cut my taxes and leave you 47% eating dust dirt.
Mondale was the establishment candidate, with largest number of party leaders supporting him, the most union endorsements and the most money. The media watched on with morbid fascination as the establishment nominee, who thrilled nobody, was forced down the throats of a sullen base. Bereft of charisma and ideas, no VP Pick could save Fritz.
(This is comment on Mondale as candidate, not his character. He was an honest and authentic dud).
(aka) Romney was the last gasp establishment candidate, with largest number of party leaders supporting him, the biggest business backing and the most money. The media watched on with morbid fascination as the establishment nominee, who thrilled nobody, was forced down the throats of a sullen base. Bereft of charisma and ideas, Paul Ryan could not (cough) save Mitt. Throw that man an anchor.
Mondale's campaign cemented the argument that raising taxes upfront was electoral poison. Romney is guy who has to sell Paul Ryan's budget, the most toxic example, so far, of trickle down economics. The GOP could not have picked a worse candidate for the job.
Mondale was 1984's back to the future candidate.
It did not work then, and it won't work for Romney;
Trickle Down has run it's course, becoming poisonous.
In early March I posted, if the economy springs back into life like 1984, (still unlikely), this GE can be a BLOWOUT. I firmly believe that.
If President Obama makes this election a referendum on trickle down economics, and the rights of women, it's on the cards. It is becoming clearer, week by week, that Obama will take to the task with genuine passion.
Addendum: No, the economy has not sprung back to life but, 'The Real Mitt Romney' has excelled as 'Explainer in Chief' for Paul Ryan's budget, and then some.
Original Post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/125127610
WI_DEM
(33,497 posts)middle class tax payers, etc--just as Obama is doing.
Now will Romney win the first debate as Mondale did in 1984? If he does that could give Romney a shot in the arm. Even Mondale got a rise in the polls following it, until Reagan came back and did his 'aw, shucks' act in the next debate getting a huge laugh.
S_E_Fudd
(1,295 posts)Was (is) an intelligent, forward looking, dedicated public servant. Along with his mentor, Hubert Humphrey, he helped usher through Congress some of the landmark Civil Rights legislation passed during the 1960s. He was the chief sponsor of the Fair Housing Act. He redefined the office of Vice President, and returned to public service as Bill Clinton's ambassador to Japan.
To compare him in any way to the empty suit, vapid Mitt Romney is really just not accurate.
Mondale may not have been the best candidate in 1984 to take on the Reagan juggernaut ( I don't think any Democrat would have won) - he would be the first to admit that - but he would have been a vastly superior President to Reagan.
he also didn't run as bad a campaign as Romney did. He had big crowds at his rallies (I volunteered for his campaign) and performed very well in the debates vs. Reagan especially the first one which nearly everybody conceded Mondale won. Nobody was going to beat Reagan in 1984--not Ted Kennedy and not Gary Hart.
S_E_Fudd
(1,295 posts)I was a supporter of Mondale in 1984, but John Glenn has always been a hero as well. I wonder if he would have been able to blunt some of that pseudo macho bluster Reagan used so well..