Uncle Kalwejt presents: Nominees who faced weak opponents in primaries

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

1980 (Republican)


Nominee Ronald Reagan:

A former two-term Governor of a large state, known nationally and very strong among party base, hands down.

Opponents:

George H. W. Bush: A quintessential political appointee, never elected to anything above congressional district as well as two-time statewide loser.

John Anderson: Kind of Ron Paul. Unelectable candidate with devoted, yet too small base to make a real difference.

Howard Baker: Normally would be a great candidate, but displayed little commitment in the race.

Bob Dole: Ah, remember that hatched man from 1976?

John Connally: A turncoat tainted by multiple scandals. Money can't buy you everything.

Phil Crane: Kind of Jon Huntsman, appealing to the same party segment as frontrunner (Reagan conservatives), but lacking all his advantages

Harold Stassen: Old meme is old

Ben Fernandez: Who?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

1968 (Republican)

Nominee: Richard Nixon

Kind of an inevitable candidate: experienced, well-known, popular with party machine, money...

Opponents:

Nelson Rockefeller: One of the most overhyped candidates in modern history.

Ronald Reagan: Still too extreme to get elected nationwide in 1960s and with just two years in office. Not this time.

George Romney: I was brainwashed, nuff said.

Harold Stassen: This is getting old...

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

1992 (Democratic)

Nominee: Bill Clinton

Relatively unknown, but with several advantages like energy, youth and considerable experience in governing. Also, very able in getting the people to like him as well as in avoiding mines that could kill most of his colleagues (see Gary Hart).

Opponents:

Paul Tsongas: Former one-term Senator with serious health issues. Absent from active politics for number of years. No appeal to the liberal base due to an outspoken fiscal conservatism. Charisma? We're not discussing something that didn't exist in first place.

Jerry Brown: A man with two already lost national campaigns who could never, despite serious record as two-term California Governor, escape his erratic image.

Bob Kerrey: Great candidate on paper: war hero and a popular liberal Democrat in a Republican, conservative state. But, he totally lacked a sense of self-discipline to compete on national level.

Tom Harkin: No appeal outside of an old guard.

Douglas Wilder: He won less than 300 votes nationwide, right?

Eugene McCarthy: OLD MEME IS REALLY OLD!

Charles Woods: Alabama's Harold Stassen with a scary face.

Larry Agran: Who?

Tom Laughin: I don't know any damn Tom Laughin. I only know Billy Jack.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Gore - too inexperienced at 1988, unable to win much outside of the South.

Gore '88 was not even a "southern candidate"; he was southern whites candidate. His startegy was based on dominating the South with others splitting the rest, but this plan quickly collapsed with Jesse Jackson.