How Carter Beat Reagan

The American Spectator | September 25, 2012 | Jeffrey Lord

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Dick Morris is right.

Here's his column on "Why the Polls Understate the Romney Vote."

Here's something Dick Morris doesn't mention. And he's charitable.

Remember when Jimmy Carter beat Ronald Reagan in 1980?

That's right. Jimmy Carter beat Ronald Reagan in 1980.

In a series of nine stories in 1980 on "Crucial States" -- battleground states as they are known today -- the New York Times repeatedly told readers then-President Carter was in a close and decidedly winnable race with the former California governor. And used polling data from the New York Times/CBS polls to back up its stories.

Four years later, it was the Washington Post that played the polling game -- and when called out by Reagan campaign manager Ed Rollins a famous Post executive called his paper's polling an "in-kind contribution to the Mondale campaign." Mondale, of course, being then-President Reagan's 1984 opponent and Carter's vice president.

All of which will doubtless serve as a reminder of just how blatantly polling data is manipulated by liberal media -- used essentially as a political weapon to support the liberal of the moment, whether Jimmy Carter in 1980, Walter Mondale in 1984 -- or Barack Obama in 2012.

First the Times in 1980 and how it played the polling game.

The states involved, and the datelines for the stories:

California -- October 6, 1980
Texas -- October 8, 1980
Pennsylvania -- October 10, 1980
Illinois -- October 13, 1980
Ohio -- October 15, 1980
New Jersey -- October 16, 1980
Florida -- October 19, 1980
New York -- October 21, 1980
Michigan -- October 23, 1980

Of these nine only one was depicted as "likely" for Reagan:

Reagan's own California. A second -- New Jersey -- was presented as a state that "appears to support" Reagan.

The Times led their readers to believe that.....

[MuttTheHoople]

I remember the 1980 elections. For months, we were inundated with stories about how no one would know the final results until early the next morning, ie, like 1976. Back then, Mississippi was considered a Swing State (went for Carter in '76), and he actually came to Jackson the Saturday night before the election.

I was 18 and a Freshman at Millsaps College. Me and a couple of my buddies went down there about 2 hours early so we could get close. They had a bunch of Democrat bigwigs down there. The two things I remember was heckling the President (PACK YOUR BAGS! YOU'RE OUTTA THERE NEXT TUESDAY!!), and shaking his hand later and his hands were soft, like he never worked a day in his life.....yeah yeah yeah, I know. Heckling and later shaking his hand, but, hey, I was heckling Jimmah, but shaking the hand of the President.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Almost everything done by the presstitutes is an "in-kind contribution" to the Democratic Party, even many of the so-called conservative organizations (Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, US News & World Report and etc. It's time we got over that and redoubled our efforts to get Governor Romney and conservatives elected from the Senate down to the county and city level. Let's quit whining!

[Straight Vermonter]

Link?

[scooby321]

How can you post without a link?

[jmcenanly]

Here is a link. apparently polls have been wrong before

[Alberta's Child]

Something to keep in mind here is that media outlets have a huge financial stake in elections, so it’s in their best interests to paint everything as a competitive race even if they know damn well that it isn’t. They’d have Obama running neck-and-neck with Romney even if Obama wasn’t running.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/09/25/how-carter-beat-reagan

So sorry. Rushed this AM.

[Publius Maximus]

I think Barry knows he’s toast, that’s why he’s disengaging from his day job (other than giving a few speeches and hundreds of fundraisers) and hanging out with the gaggle of witches at The View.

[Straight Vermonter]

Thanks!

[John 3_19-21]

Key point FRiend. This should help those here who might be feeling disillusioned.

[Vendome]

You messing with us?

Where’s the link?

LOL

[raccoonradio]

My first election (I was 18) and voted for Reagan. There is a clip on youtube: 8:15 pm and Brokaw and Chancellor on NBC were saying Reagan had won. He had gotten the 270 needed in their estimation by then. I think ultimately Carter got maybe 6 states

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsDe-8cOSYY
(colors different: GOP in blue. Similar results, actually the dems did even worse, in ‘84 with Mondale winning Minn & DC and nothing else. I think they remark they were up till 3:15 am in ‘76. Here it was pretty much over by 8:15 pm

Oh and here’s ABC in ‘84 and they do have GOP in Red.
Fun moment about 2:22 in see below the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsDe-8cOSYY

>>ELECTORAL VOTES
REAGAN—454
MONDALE —3
270 Needed To Win

[Fledermaus]

Back in those days they always used blue for the challengers and red for the incumbents I believe. Thus in 1984, 88, & 92 the GOP was red. I’d have to search to see what they did in 1996 (if Clinton was red or blue) but they probably just stuck with red so they can now bash “red states”.