Dole in '80

is there any way that Bob Dole could of been the Republican Presidential nominee in 1980 if Gerald Ford and he still lose in 1976? and if he did get the nomination could he win the election?
 
is there any way that Bob Dole could of been the Republican Presidential nominee in 1980 if Gerald Ford and he still lose in 1976? and if he did get the nomination could he win the election?

If Reagan didn't run in 1980 for whatever reason? I don't think Ford was going to run again, so Dole might be in the initial front of the pack among Republicans, alongside Bush.
 
1. How do you remove Reagan from the equation?

2. Jimmy Carter might do the impossible and win a second term. At least, the defeat won't be as high as in OTL.
 

bard32

Banned
is there any way that Bob Dole could of been the Republican Presidential nominee in 1980 if Gerald Ford and he still lose in 1976? and if he did get the nomination could he win the election?

I agree with BCO. If Reagan didn't run in 1980, then Dole, conceivably, could
have been the Republican nominee. The Democrats were so damaged by the
fight between Jimmy Carter and Edward Kennedy, that the country was ready
for a change. Of course, that wasn't the only problem the Democrats had in
1980. There were also the Iran Hostage Crisis, the war in Afghanistan, the
Olympic boycott, inflation, and the high price of gas, which at the time, was only $1.24 a gallon.
 

Xen

Banned
Maybe instead of shooting John Lennon to become famous Mark David Chapman shoots Ronald Reagan in early 1980. He does not have to kill Reagan, just shoot him bad enough to take him out of the picture.
 
Reagan falls off a horse, and brakes his neck, thus we get Christopher Reeve 15 years-early, and this may be ASB but if he's a little better he could be Dole's VP ( :D )
 
Dole is a horrible campaigner (see 1976 VP; 1980, 1988, and 1996 primaries; 1996 general). He's just flat out bad at it.

We'd have to remove both Reagan and Bush, and perhaps even Connally, Baker, and Anderson to give Dole a clear shot. He really is just that much of a failure at campaigning.


He could probably win the general as Carter's campaign team sucked at general elections, but it'd be closer than OTL.
 
You've made this painfully obvious.

cut the boy a brake he's learning. any way 1980, if no Reagan then it's a Dole Vs. Bush Sr., Bush is a No body in '80 and was dry as ever.... so maybe Dole who's been, you know, elected to government:p any who, whose our VP? a wheelchair bound Reagan? Bush Sr.? Jack Kemp? Connally?
 
Dole. Even his name is uninsipiring. In NH in 1980, he got less than 1,000 votes. If Reagan hadn't run, Bush would have had Dole for breakfast.
 
Without Reagan in 1980, Dole would have been the Republican front runner, having been the VP candidate in 1976.

Gasoline was $1.24 a gallon in 1980 and that price translates to $3.30 in current, 2008 dollars. So, until gas topped $3.30 a couple of months ago, the highest real price for it was in 1980. Since the price eased up as the year progressed, it probably did not play a significant role in the election.

Reagan was elected because a landslide of centrists and Democrats listened to his plea to change directions and show that double digit inflation was not a permanent feature of a developed economy. Americans gave Reagan a chance. Would they have done so for Dole? The Clinton campaign reminded us in 1996 that Dole voted against Medicare. Dole had baggage and Carter may have prevailed in 1980.
 

Hendryk

Banned
Incidentally, Bob Dole was George H.W. Bush's Vice President during the latter's two terms from 1977 to 1985 in "Superpower Empire". He made his own bid for the presidency in 1984, but lost to Bob Kennedy.
 
i really can't see Bush winning without being VP first. i mean in 1980 Bush have been out of Government for 3 years and his last job had been Director of Central Intelligence, people don't trust spooks and not ones that worked for Nixon
 
i really can't see Bush winning without being VP first. i mean in 1980 Bush have been out of Government for 3 years and his last job had been Director of Central Intelligence, people don't trust spooks and not ones that worked for Nixon

You do realize that Bush came second to Reagan? Without Reagan in the race Dole can do better, but he sucked at raising money & campaigning… frankly his best outcome with Bush in the race is to be Bush's VP.

i do get that. well i guess we need to stop Bush from running too.

Now if Bush stayed on as CIA director (as he offered to Carter) and Reagan decided he was too old, perhaps than Dole can squeak out a victory.
 
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You do realize that Bush came second to Reagan? Without Reagan in the race Dole can do better, but he sucked at raising money & campaigning… frankly his best outcome with Bush in the race is to be Bush's VP.

i do get that. well i guess we need to stop Bush from running too.
 
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