Describe a 1984 Mondale voter, and a 1988 Bush voter

[sg0508]

All I can think of is "Willie Horton" and those suburban voters that pushed George Bush to victory, especially in MD and PA, which were two states that Dukakis should have won given Reagan's weakness there in '84.

Thoughts?

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

Maybe in the South? I don’t think there was much swing in some of those states.

[darklordoftech]

You answered your own question, but there could have been #neverReagan Republicans.

[morgieb]

Remember though Reagan also did amazingly in the suburbs. IIRC in most of the suburban counties there was a Dukakis swing.

ElectoralBoobyPrize is right in that there was little swing in parts of the South (and in Tennessee Mondale did better). I don't get why they'd vote Mondale but not Dukakis though. Maybe Southern pride (even though Bush was a Southerner in name only)?

[morgankingsley]

People who liked Reagan's ideas, but not Reagan

[bagelman]

Remember though Reagan also did amazingly in the suburbs. IIRC in most of the suburban counties there was a Dukakis swing.

ElectoralBoobyPrize is right in that there was little swing in parts of the South (and in Tennessee Mondale did better). I don't get why they'd vote Mondale but not Dukakis though. Maybe Southern pride (even though Bush was a Southerner in name only)?

Yellow dog decay and Wille Horton.

[darklordoftech]

My grandfather left his ballot blank in 1984 because he saw Reagan as a Goldwaterite, but then voted for Bush in 1988 and 1992.

Anyway, a pro-establishment voter who thought Bush was smarter than Reagan and more qualified than Reagan or Dukakis.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

Were there any counties that voted this way? Obviously, Tennessee would be the place to look.

Mondale wouldn't appeal to the South EXCEPT for the fact that he was VP to a southern president, who had only been out of office for four years in 1984. By 1988, these same conservative Democrats may not have been willing to give Dukakis the benefit of the doubt.

Just a theory...

[Joe "I Have No Empathy" Biden]

My aunt hated Reagan (because she hated Nancy) and said she never voted for him, but said Bush Sr. was her favorite President, so I guess she would qualify.

[morgankingsley]

My aunt hated Reagan (because she hated Nancy) and said she never voted for him, but said Bush Sr. was her favorite President, so I guess she would qualify.

That's a little random

[sg0508]

It's amazing how the Law & Order issue really seemed to kill Dukakis badly, and likely cost him MD and PA at a minimum, in addition to perhaps IL and maybe MO too.

[morgankingsley]

It's amazing how the Law & Order issue really seemed to kill Dukakis badly, and likely cost him MD and PA at a minimum, in addition to perhaps IL and maybe MO too.

PA and IL easily, probably MD, I don't know about MO. But still that would have put him to 170

[darklordoftech]

The fairness doctrine was still in effect in 1984, so its absence could have resulted in the crime issue being presented in a one-sided matter in 1988.