ELECTION #50, 1984. The NASTY-METER is 2.

QUOTE from Ronald Reagan in speech at the Brandenburg, Berlin, June 12, 1987. " Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

The CANDIDATES in 1984.

REPUBLICAN: RONALD REAGAN.

Reagan ran for re-election in 1984. He said "Life in America is back." Well, yes and no. There were more jobs and interest rates were down, but the deficit was skyrocketing , his tax cuts benefitted only the rich, and religious fundamentalists, intolerant of anyone who didn't share their beliefs, were in the acendendancy. Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority gave the benediction at the Republican National Convention, calling Reagan and VP Bush, "God's instruments for rebuilding America."

DEMOCRAT: WALTER MONDALE.

He had been vice-president under Jimmy Carter. He chose New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his VP mate. That was a first in American politics - a woman actually on the ticket.

The CAMPAIGN in 1984.

Reagan was running in time of prosperity and going to be impossible to beat. Mondale was not what you would call charismatic and Ferraro wasn't much better. The only thing about Reagan that people thought about was his age (73) and his memory. He could not remember the name of his national security advisor, Bud McFarlane. And he was prone to misstatements such as: "Now we're trying to get unemployment to go up. I think we are going to succeed." Regardless, it didn't make any difference as he won in a landslide - remember he was the teflon man.

The WINNER was RONALD REAGAN and he continued as the 40th president of the United States.

Reagan got 54,455,075 popular and 525 electoral.

Mondale got 37,577,185 popular and 13 electoral.

Ouch.