XI. Conservative Reagan - Bush 80's Cycle (1981-1993)

XI. Conservative Reagan - Bush 80's Cycle

[3 Terms]
Major Parties: Democrats, Republicans
Major 3rd Parties: Independent
Presidents: (R) Ronald Reagan, George Bush
Vice Presidents: (R) George Bush, Dan Quayle

Dominant Issue: Cold War
Events: Berlin Wall Comes Down, SDI, INF Treaty, Desert Storm, Assassination attempt on Reagan, Grenada, American with Disabilities Act, L.A. Riots, CD's

--Democrat Party Factions: Moderate Democrats (who were for a big welfare state but socially Moderate),

Dukakis

Liberal Democrats (who were both socially and economically liberal), and Blue Dog Democrats (who were the Reagan Democrats of the 80's)

--Republican Party Factions: Moderate Republicans (who were socially Moderate nut fiscally Conservative and focused on running day to day operations of government), Conservative Republicans (both socially and Fiscally Conservative), Christian Right reaches their peak and an outlier group of Libertarian Republicans

Quayle

3rd Parties: John Anderson ran as a Moderate Independent getting 7% and referring to his campaign as a "3rd Choice"

End of Cycle: Recession and Perot movement

1980:
Republican Convention: Across the Midwest in Detroit, Michigan
Republican Ticket: Reagan/Bush

Reagan

President: Former Governor Ronald Reagan (California) Vice President: Former CIA Director George Bush (Texas)
Democrat Convention: Back East in New York City, New York
Democrat Ticket: Carter/Mondale
President: President Jimmy Carter (Georgia) Vice President: Vice President Walter Mondale (Minnesota)

Independent Ticket: Anderson/Lucey

President: Republican U.S. Congressman John Anderson (Illinois) Vice President: Former Democrat Governor Patrick Lucey (Wisconsin)

1984:
Republican Convention: Down South in Dallas, Texas

Mondale - Ferrraro

Republican Ticket: Reagan/Bush
President: President Ronald Reagan (California) Vice President: Vice President George Bush (Texas)
Democrat Convention: Out West in San Francisco, California
Democrat Ticket: Mondale/Ferraro
President: Former Vice President Walter Mondale (Illinois) Vice President: U.S. U.S. Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro (New York)

1988:
Republican Convention:  Down South in New Orleans, Louisiana, 

Bush

Republican Ticket: Bush/Quayle
President: Vice President George Bush (Texas) Vice President: U.S. Senator Dan Quayle (Indiana)
Democrat Convention:  Down South in Atlanta, Georgia
Democrat Ticket: Dukakis/Bentsen
President: Governor Michael Dukakis (Massachusetts) Vice President: U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen (Texas)

Hotly Contested Election of Cycle:

1980:

In the Above County Map (R) Reagan is in Blue and (D) Carter in Red

In that election cycle Republican U.S. Congressman John Anderson

Anderson

came in 3rd in the Republican primaries after Reagan and Bush. Afterward he ran as an Independent joined by Democrat Former Governor Patrick Lucey, They called themselves a "3rd Choice" to Carter's failed Presidency and those who thought Reagan was too Conservative.

That year Cater faced a serious primary challenge for renomination from U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, brother of President John F. Kennedy.

-A Note of Interest--

Reagan's sense of humor came through in what is considered the most

classic debate moment in debate history when the issue of Reagan's age came up - "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."