Talk Elections

How would it have turned out?

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Ford wins 395-143.

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404-134

lol. Ford could just portray Carter as a failure while pointing out that he actually did a good job as President.

Carter wasn't President in 1976.

What's your point? I'm asking how the 1976 election would have looked like had it been held today. And last time I checked, people today think that Ford was a more successful and better President than Carter.

Had the 1976 election been held today, Carter would have just been governor of Georgia, not the president.

Well, actually the former. ;) Anyway, what was so great about Ford?

He is perceived as better than Carter. At least the inflation rate greatly decreased under his watch, while it greatly increased under Carter. Anyway, in asking this question (as with similar questions for all elections), I meant that both candidates are in their prime and are running for President today. However, the American people also get to see everything that happened so far up to the present day, including Carter's horrible Presidency.

Seriously? Is that all you care about? Not a serious, and successful, push for cooperation in the Middle East, or trying to solve energy problems that we are still trying to solve today because no one took him seriously? Or having the guts to go on national television and read the complaints against him (by members of his own party!)? Or, having the guts to tell Americans, in the same national address, that there is a "Crisis of Confidence" in America. Which, of course, is exactly right. Or, admit that many of his own agenda has not been implemented or been successful enough? I can go on...

I'm not saying I don't admire some of Carter's achievements (like the Israel-Egypt peace treaty) or that he didn't have any good ideas. I'm just saying that Carter is perceived as a failure due to his failure to handle hyperinflation and to bring the hostages home. Thus, Ford would easily beat Carter if people had to pick between both of them in their prime years today, sicne they would already know what Carter's Presidency looked like.

Well if everything was like it was in 1976 I am sure it would come the same.

Out of curiousity, what's your rationale for Carter doing so well?

Interesting. Even though I'm sure most Americans either remmeber or know about the hostage crisis, and many of them are not too keen to forgive Carter for failing to bring the hostages home.

I wouldn't call 300-320 EVs comfortable.

Yeah, but it's still not comfortable historically.

Well he sort of did. The Irainians agreed to let them out, but only after Reagan became the president, so he (Carter) would look bad.

Yeah, but that would mean (at least in the minds of most americans) that Reagan brought the hostages home and not Carter, which would still make Carter look like a huge failure.