The Democrats in 1984, why Mondale?

[chinaglenn]

Howdy!

I would like to know why the Democrats nominated Walter Mondale in 1984. Surely the people who voted for him knew that he did not stand a chance. As the VP nominee in 1980 he and Carter lost the election in a landslide.

Why didn't John Glenn pick up any speed. The man was an American hero, a space and war hero and someone that everyone knew and had a positive reaction to. Then there was Gary Hart, a youngish Kennedy like guy. I never thought much of Gary Hart, but the man was better than freaking boring Mondale. Hart would not have won, but he could of carried about 10 statesand made it respectable. How under almost any scenerio that they could beat Reagan with Mondale is beyond me.

I truly believe that in some elections that one party is just going to win and the other party either falls apart that cycle or gives the nomination that everyone respects but knows that they dont have a chance. Mondale was the former. Maybe they were saving Hart and Glenn for 1988.

The Democrats could of done better than Mondale, right?

Senor

[Kaine for Senate '18]

The Democrats could of done better than Mondale, right?

Of course they could've; pretty much anyone other than Jesse Jackson would've been a better candidate than Mondale.

[minionofmidas]

Well Mondale won the nomination with under 40% of the primary vote...



John Glenn seems to've made mistakes comparable to Giuliani's this time around, peaking too early, trying to sit out the first couple of contests, and then getting caught in a Mondale-Hart squeeze. He still came within a point of winning Wisconsin.

[Nym90]

Well, establishment support and name recognition mattered more in 1984 than today, I think.

Plus Dems pretty much knew for sure they weren't going to win anyway, so figured it made sense not to waste an up and coming candidate like Hart. Figured we might as well give Mondale a chance, that he paid his dues and deserved it (kind of like Dole in 1996).

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Don't forget 1980.  They tried to dump Carter then because he wasn't liberal enough, and almost succeeded.  Even if they thought Mondale wouldn't win, the Democratic wing of the Democratic party was likely hoping he'd be able to sow the seeds of a liberal resurgence in 1988.  Still, I doubt they expected the disaster they got.

Here's 1984 with a 15% swing in the margin, he still loses badly:

A 19% swing is needed to eke out a narrow victory, carrying Michigan by less than a thousand votes:

(In a PV tie with uniform swing, Reagan still takes Ohio and Michigan for an apparent 306 EV mandate.)