Our national fascination with elections has produced entire cottage industries of analysis: What does the election mean for the country’s political establishment, and what brought about its outcome? Those lines of inquiry were especially pronounced following the 2016 election, a contest that featured plenty of storylines—sexism, James Comey, Russian interference, weak campaigning by Hillary Clinton, and so on—to which pundits could stake their theories and explanations. But what about a more lopsided election? What can a landslide tell us about the state of the electorate? …
Reagan certainly ran on economic growth as an issue, but the idea that the economy was responsible for his strong election showing was not universally accepted in the years following the 1984 election. Instead, media and campaign sources focused on other aspects of the candidates and campaigns—the sitting president’s humor and good looks, Mondale’s pledge to raise taxes, etc.—to explain Reagan’s landslide victory. …
Mondale and the Democrats also were blamed for prioritizing “special interests” (mainly racial minorities) over working-class white voters. (It’s a narrative that continues to plague Democrats.) CONT.
Seth Masket (U. of Denver), Pacific Standard