Why Is Reagan Bush '84 Still So Popular?

Regardless of your political standings or beliefs, it is difficult to not be impressed by the results of the 1984 presidential election, but the massive republican turnout was not the only historically significant aspect of this race, for this election year was one of many moving parts. Ronald Reagan was a man well liked by the people, as his goals and aspirations stated prior to his time in office were bold and prospective in nature, which was what the United States was in dire need of. In the 1970's, a period of low economic growth, high interests rates and even higher inflation struck the country's economy- called "stagflation"- and this was one of the platforms Reagan chose to base his campaign upon, making it known that he would work to improve the current economic crisis apparent in the United States. He was a believer in "supply-side economics", or the use of incentives for the people so they would produce a greater amount of goods and services, cutting income tax for example, thus resulting in a more effective economic flow, a revival as he stated. As many who promise economic prosperity in their campaigns, he gained a large amount of support from potential voters, and along with other widely supported goals on his agenda, Reagan and the republican part took the majority vote in 1980 and won the presidential election. During his time as leader of the United States, he set out to do what he had planned on, and "Reaganomics" took off into action, which was surprisingly effective although not to the extent that Reagan and the Republican party would have wanted. The end of the recession, lowered government spending and increased economic prosperity was well received by the American people, and along with his other accomplished tasks while in office, he managed to not only keep but increase his popularity as president, making it an obvious decision for him to run for re-election in 1984. Much of his platform did not change, and with the republican party giving him the runway, the only thing that stood in his way was the person he was running against: former Vice President Walter Mondale from Minnesota.

The Democratic party had more of a notable time when choosing their candidate for presidential election, as their were multiple who rose to the occasion, and as each candidate had a strong platform, it made it difficult at the start to find the right opponent for Reagan. Mondale was the preferred nominee, although Jesse Jackson and Gary Hart did surprisingly well on the a national scale. Jesse Jackson was the second African-American candidate to be supported nationwide and the first to be taken seriously as a potential contender for the presidency, managing to win Washington D.C., South Carolina and Louisiana. Gary Hart got the media's attention simply because of his moderate standings in the race as a result of the falling votes for the other candidates, though he received very little of the votes nationally at the start of his campaign. Towards the end, though, he became the main opponent to Mondale, leading by ten percentage points and maintained a strong presence. Even with the other candidates though and following many intense debates and voting periods, Mondale received the nomination to run against Reagan.

Mondale soon proved to be not so popular among the many he would have liked to gain support from, although his bold actions of choosing Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, the first woman to be chosen for a major political party, did give him attention from the media and voters. The support from the District of Columbia, small group voters, and sparse groups in the nation was not nearly enough though to face off against Reagan. His margin of victory over Mondale was close to seventeen million popular votes, which was the second largest in United States history following Nixon's. Reagan won 525 of the electoral votes, making his election a landslide victory, and it didn't come without hard work put in by Reagan and the Republican party. His composure and ability to say the right things during debates was unprecedented, leaving his opponents at a loss when it came to rebuttal. The ad-campaign for Reagan was also one of notable statue, for his pleasant manner, strong attitude towards making America better, and easily likable character made him an extremely popular public figure in the United States, and if it weren't for the two-term limit, the Republican party would have most likely retained control for many more four year periods. Ronald Reagan and George Bush truly created a lasting legacy during their running as President and Vice President, staying true to their goals of improving the foundations of the United States as best as they could, and we at Joseph's Clothier know what it means to represent and support the values of what makes our America a powerful country, something that Reagan and Bush protected. For over five years, our Reagan Bush '84 apparel has been one of our best selling products, and for good reason, as they not only come in a variety of options, but they represent all that we are: American made. We offer comfortable t-shirts, limited edition St. Patrick's day themed shirts, Trucker Hats and stickers, so basically everything you could possibly want to showcase your support and respect for those who stood for important American values that define who we are as a country. Southern Snap allows you to wear your Reagan Bush '84 apparel in the colors that best suit what they stood for: Red, White and Blue, and they aren't your basic solid colors, rather they are bright, unique shades of these representative colors, and ones that you can feel not only a sense of pride in, but feel stylish and comfortable in. Our Reagan Bush Trucker hats are no different, for they range from a beautiful Grey and white to a deep Camo pattern, and with a leather patch to finish off the look, all you need to do is get one for yourself! They're bold, comfortable and versatile, everything you could ever want in a hat and more. If your closet is stocked for the time being, get yourself a sticker that you can put almost anywhere to show that your support for American values goes further back than people may think. Whatever it is you're looking for to represent this great American time period, Joseph's Clothier has it in stock! Don't wait for the next election to get yours!