Reagan's Nashua Moment

Feb 23, 1980.

In the New Hampshire primary, a single symbolic act dramatized the debut of Reagan's new image as a candidate and the demise of Bush's presidential hopes. It occurred during what was scheduled to be a two-person debate between Bush and Reagan in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Feburary 23, the Saturday before balloting. As it turned out, Bush crumpled under pressure orchestrated by Reagan's camp.

Initially, both Reagan and Bush had seen advantages in a two-person debate sponsored by a local newspaper. When the FEC ruled that newspaper sponsorship of the debate amounted to an illegal campaign contribution and when Bush refused to pay half of the debate's cost, Reagan agreed to underwrite it himself.

Reagan then moved to include the other five contenders - a move that identified him both as a candidate and a unifier. When the other candidates showed up on stage, Bush froze.

As Reagan made his case for inclusion of the other candidates, the moderator ordered Reagan's mike turned off. Reagan responded, "I'm paying for this microphone, Mr. Green." The fact that the moderator's name was Breen seemed to matter little. The crowd cheered. When neither newspaper hosting the debate nor Bush would accede to the inclusion of the others, the other candidates left the stage. Reagan's prospects had been boosted, Bush's buried. Reagan carried New Hampshire 50% to Bush's 23%.

(Excerpted from "Packaging The Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign" by Kathleen Hall Jamieson)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Reagan
• Nashua
• Election
• New
• Hampshire

[DCnightcrawler]

What class! They wanted to make it strictly a 2-man debate. Bush was Reagan's opponent at that point and Reagan argued that Bush and the others should be allowed to speak. Ronald Reagan had a keen sense of fairness and balance--more than most people today realize.

[g00se99]

God i miss reagan. He was a grownup unlike obama who talks to people like children.

[mikeyanagita1]

@renumeratedfrog

tell us what shitty country you're from so we can all LOL

[nixonplumber]

@renumeratedfrog Its amazing how americans fell for a cheap empty community organizer. One of the dumbest people in American politics. I have a feeling this mistake will be corrected in Nov.

[renumeratedfrog]

LOL, it's funny how Americans are impressed by angry old men... Newt Gingrich is another of their icons.

[Vertigo2903]

what a boss

[ghostfish01]

If we ever needed a president like Ronald Reagan, it is now. This nation is in such peril, and Barack Hussein Obama mmmmm....mmmmmm.....mmmmmm....­. is happily and gleefully presiding over the downfall of it. A lopeared radical and a botox king guiding us through the waters of N. Korea, a nuclear Iran...we are arranging deckchairs on the Titanic, and there is a stupid yardape at the wheel.

[MrQuaker62]

@DCnightcrawler well...reagan knew he would do better with all the others, perhaps he wouldn't be asked so many hard questions......lol...he didn't know the facts then and never really did get a handle on it. He was a figure head really.

[LynchColl94]

memo to Mr. Breen....don't piss off the GIPPER ;-)

[LynchColl94]

@seanvogt221 Sorry, Ron Paul will never be president....maybe by the time you are actually old enough to vote a candidate will come along that will legalize pot for you. 

[LynchColl94]

@freePUAbootcamp and in 1994 Romney denounced him while Gingrich carried on the Reagan platform. Newt 2012!

[djwolf12]

@jimcormney I can only imagine what it was like to be in that room at that moment. Just like Last night with Newt's "Charleston" Moment.