80s struggles for dems: was it candidate based or structural?

[Matty]

Were the 80s presidential struggles for dems based more on good GOP candidates going up against bad dem nominees, or is it based more on a significant rightward shift in the electorate, in which no matter how bad the gop nominee was or good the dem nominee was, the gop was going to win?

[Del Tachi]

Both.

But nominating conservative Southerners would have helped.

[dw93]

Vietnam and Civil Rights threw a wrench in the New Deal Coalition and the Republicans took advantage of that divide, be it with the Southern Strategy, the Crime Issue, or with Abortion. I also think luck had a hand in it to. If Reagan sought another term in 1982 or 83 he would've lost, even to the likes of Mondale, but the Economy roared through 1984 and Reagan was able to declare "Morning in America." A moderate candidate might've made it a bit closer, but Reagan would've sailed to a second term none the less. Bush also might've narrowly lost in 1988 had the Dems nominated a stronger candidate than the Duke.  So, in short, it was a variety of issues.

[Mr. Smith]

Structural.

Dems put too much effort into The South instead of securing The West (especially California).

[OSR stands with Israel]

Structural.

Dems put too much effort into The South instead of securing The West (especially California).

Dukakis went all in trying to win California and still lost it. The problem was the national environment was completely unfavorable to the Democrats in 1980, 1984 and even 1988. Its really not possible to win an election with national environments as bad as that. Only exception is 2000 and that is cause Gore ran away from Clinton and both the Republican 80s and Democratic 90s were prosperous and the last time you had a bad recession was in 1981-82 so the memories of bad economic times had faded.

[RINO Tom]

Both.

But nominating conservative Southerners would have helped.

(Unless by conservative you just meant ... acting Southern.)

[darklordoftech]

Would "structural" mean that Carter, Mondale, or Dukakis would have won in 1992? Would "candidate-based" mean that Clinton would have won in 1988?