Could Mondale have done better with a different campaign?

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Sure, Reagan was always going to win, but I feel like Mondale could have done much better. First of all, from what I've read, they held back on negativity towards Reagan because of his personal favorables. This seems idiotic, if your opponent is popular you should go all the more negative, since driving their numbers down should be your priority. Also, it seems from the ads he emphasized the deficit above all else, something most voters don't completely understand, yet alone care about. The second biggest issue was arms control, another loser for the Democrats in this period in time. I feel like he could have done a lot better by emphasizing jobs and healthcare.