American Presidential Elections Assignment Help

Imagine that you were an American voter, living in the year 1980. There was a presidential election that year, with the two major candidates being: Jimmy Carter of the Democratic Party, and Ronald Reagan, of the Republican party. 

Answer this question: in that election, which candidate would you have voted for, and why? In your answer, be certain and discuss, for the candidate for whom you choose to vote, the Policy Positions he held and explain why those positions lead you to vote for him.

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Introduction 

The American presidential election in 1980 featured intense competition between the Democratic Party’s Jimmy Carter and the Republican Party’s Ronald Reagan. Both the candidates had interesting policies for reforming America and a large community of supporters. It was a dramatic event as both the parties made use of intense promotional campaigns.  

Candidates for the American Presidential elections of 1980 

The onset of the elections was during the intense and ongoing Iran hostage crisis and the policies that were offered by the parties were shaped around it. The Democratic party stood for social and economic equality while the Republic party was its more reserved counterpart. The Democratic Party was facing major backlash due to inflation and the Iran hostage crisis which lasted from 1979-1980 (Historycentral.com, 2018). Jimmy Carter’s new energy proposals were not popular and he was unable to assess the present needs of the country and frame his policies accordingly. On the other hand, Ronald Reagan represented the conservative Republican Party and vocally criticised government expansion and inflation.

Reasons for voting for Ronald Reagan 

The main reason for which I would vote for Ronald Reagan was because by the 1980s the social development of America had promoted his ‘anti-liberal’ stance against inflation policies a major advantage. According to Kluegel and Smith (2017), Reagan was able to appeal to the increasing aged population and their conservative thoughts through the promotion of his ideals. His political campaign’s tagline, ‘Make America Great Again’ was able to unite the thoughts of the entire population who were traumatised due to the Iran crisis (Historycentral.com, 2018). Moreover, it has been identified that, “Reagan’s popularity resulted in part from his skill as a speaker (journalists dubbed him the “Great Communicator”) and his steadfast commitment to a few basic principles and simple themes”. His public speaking skills and a charming personality made him able to persuade and communicate his visions for the country effectively using different forms of media (Npr.org, 2015). 

Policies positions held by Ronald Reagan 

The policies position that was held by him was a reduction in the taxes which was necessary due to the skyrocketing prices of consumer products and property taxes at that time. It has been identified that, “In 1978, tax rebels, with Reagan’s support, succeeded in putting an initiative known as Proposition 13 on the state ballot.” This was an effort made to cut the size and cost of the government to reduce property taxes. He was able to win over the religious Right in 1979 by addressing their problems which earned him credibility. Reagan also promised to increase defence spending along with creating a balance in the federal budget by promoting deregulation (Wildavsky, 2017).

Conclusion 

Due to his effective communication skills and the ability to address the concerns of the people of America, Ronald Reagan would get my vote for the presidential elections held in America in 1980. His policies focused on the present issues that were faced by the Americans at the time and he was able to persuade the voters. His political campaigns were smart and made use of all the media channels along with a catchy tagline.