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[HereSince1628]

9. IMO, that consideration of the problem is way too simple.

I don't remember it clearly, but I remember that primary season

And it doesn't take into account the details of issues on the ground, the following are just a couple of things I remember...

There was a huge democratic field, of whom at least 5 candidates had a decent shot at the presidency.

Hart was seen as the 'golden boy' but he had a problem on his lap, and he also ran into difficulties with delegate assignment because of convention rules that Mondale's cronies had manipulated earlier.

Mondale won the nomination but wasn't really an appealling or overwhelmingly popular choice. His running mate made history as the first woman to run for VP, but her spouse was clouded with legal difficulties.

As a public speaker, it was hands-down Reagan over Mondale.

Moreover, and this general pattern was very influential...preventing a president from a second term is hard to do, if the president wants it.

I've lived under 12 presidents only 2 elected, living presidents who sought 2nd terms were denied second terms.

There is a tendency in the US for voters to stay with what they've got for 2 terms, and it's pretty hard for a party to control the WH for 3 terms. That's only happened once in my life.