“Give the Guy a Chance” In 1982, concerns over medium-term losses and disagreements over economic policy led to divisions and accusation...
“Give the Guy a Chance”
In 1982, concerns over medium-term losses and disagreements over economic policy led to divisions and accusations within the Republican Party. Even so, the party urged voters to “give the guy a chance”.
Nancy Dwight, who at the time led the House Republicans campaign arm, cautions against reading too much of the 1982 example, but sees Biden taking a page from Reagan’s playbook to urge the patience as he tries to get the economy back on track. “He wouldn’t dare to use that line, but he’s staying the course,” Dwight told us.
Reagan was determined to carry out his economic plans, even as the public lost confidence. Given the circumstances, Dwight recalled that she felt relieved Republicans hadn’t lost even more House seats. “I knew it could have been a lot worse,” she said.
Joe Gaylord, who worked with Dwight on the House Campaign Committee in 1982, said Reagan’s economic crisis was deeper than Biden’s – with interest rates, inflation and unemployment all stalling recovery .
But he said the basic contours of the problem facing Biden were all too similar. Combine Reagan’s low approval rating with a country that thinks it’s on the wrong track, and one thing happens, he said, “You get change.”
A “huge problem that Biden has right now is that none of the things he’s done are working either,” Gaylord added.
When the unemployment rate topped 10% in September 1982, Gaylord said, “The Republican candidates dropped like flies,” as voters’ patience with the Reagan administration evaporated. He remembers hearing frustrated Republicans say the problem was simply a lack of communication with voters — that if Republicans had been clearer about their accomplishments, voters would have supported them.
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