Carter vs. Reagan

Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated Gerald Ford in 1976, but his presidency was a troubled one. Despite enjoying diplomatic and political success as a result of brokering a peace treaty between longtime foes Israel and Egypt, Carter suffered from the image of being a weak leader in the area of foreign policy. A leftist revolution in Nicaragua in 1978 and a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 contributed to Carter's foreign policy problems, but most of his difficulties in this area arose when 53 Americans were held hostage by Iranian student radicals for the entire year leading up to the 1980 presidential election. Millions of Americans tuned in to a nightly television broadcast to hear ABC news reporter Ted Koppel update the nation on the hostage situation (the program would eventually become "Nightline"). The powerful images of blindfolded American captives only exacerbated Carter's reputation as a weak and ineffective leader.

Carter fared little better in the area of domestic policy. During Carter's presidency, the economy experienced the effects of double-digit inflation, high unemployment, prohibitive interest rates, and a shortage of oil and gasoline. These economic woes prompted Carter's Republican opponent in the 1980 election, former movie actor and California governor Ronald Reagan, to ask Americans if they "were better off today than they were four years ago."

A number of Reagan's television ads displayed on "The Living Room Candidate", such as "Podium" and "Door Slam", elaborated on this theme, while some of his other ads, such as "Peace" and "Safire/Life Action" attacked Carter's foreign policy record. Take a look at these ads. In response, Carter's campaign ads sought to portray him as a thoughtful, dedicated, and conscientious leader, someone who possessed the strength of character to cope with the most demanding job in the free world. Now, watch "Alone" and "Bible" to see good examples of this campaign message.