06/29/2024: When Reagan had a bad first debate
Look at these headlines:
- “Reagan Falters in Debate With Mondale” – The New York Times
- “Reagan Shows Signs of Weariness in First Debate” – The Washington Post
- “President’s Debate Stumbles Raise Questions on Age” – The Los Angeles Times
- “Reagan’s Sluggish Debate Performance Worries Supporters” – Chicago Tribune
- “Debate Performance Fuels Age Concerns” – The Boston Globe
- “Reagan’s Debate Missteps Stir Talk of Age Issues” – The Wall Street Journal
But… Reagan was way ahead of Mondale. By 15 to 20 points ahead in the months leading up to Election Day.
1984 Election Results
| Candidate | Party | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Ronald Reagan (I) | Republican | 525 | 54,455,075 | |
| Walter F. Mondale | Democratic | 13 | 37,577,185 |
More Notions
11/03/2023: Ray Bradbury punk rock graduation.
Ray Bradbury was so poor growing up that in order to dress up for his graduation he had to wear his uncle’s suit. His uncle had died recently. The suite was the one he wore when he died. His uncle was shot. The suit still had the bullet hole in it. I learned that from […]
06/07/2023: Presidential Restraint
Matt Yglesias has a piece in the New York Times under the headline: “It’s Great to Have a President Who Knows When to Shut Up.” My favorite topic: presidential restraint. I spent a lot of time on the topic in my book, and why it’s necessary for the job. (Chapter 23: Restraint). There is no greater […]
04/29/2023: The Magic of Music
My cocktail chatter from the recent Gabfest: My chatter is on the magical properties of music. To me, musicians are the closest we have to actual Wizards. They can conjure a feeling and then make another human soul have that feeling or launch another feeling. Writing does this too, of course, but it’s rare when […]
04/22/2023: Long Tail Interviews on Prime Time
We cover the latest on Prime Time every day, but we also conduct a number of interviews that last beyond the move to fish wrap(*). Here are some interviews from the first four days of this week: 1. Why the fighting in Sudan matters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16ffhTXOsAQ 2. Evan Gershkovich’s friend explains his condition in a Russian […]