Reagan get's Alzheimers in 1984?

Was Ronald Reagan's Alzheimers apparent before the 1984 presidential election?

If so what would have happened if the disease had progressed to a point where the American public was publicly aware of Reagan's illness?

And if not, could the disease have appeared that much earlier on in Reagan's life at 73 years of age?
 
The 25th Amendment will be unlikely to come into play because Vice-President Bush is going to be reluctant to be perceived as usurping power, and that's going to be true of most vice-presidents.

Most likely, Ronnie will slowly come to the conclusion himself that he needs to step down, maybe too slow and delayed.
 
Was Ronald Reagan's Alzheimers apparent before the 1984 presidential election?

If so what would have happened if the disease had progressed to a point where the American public was publicly aware of Reagan's illness?

And if not, could the disease have appeared that much earlier on in Reagan's life at 73 years of age?

I agree with what GeographyDude said. I may dislike Reagan's policies, but I think he was a decent enough man to admit when he's no longer fit for office and would step down voluntarily if he reached that point.

If his Alzheimer's becomes public knowledge during the '84 election (I'm thinking he says or does something so bizarre that it can't be reasonably dismissed as a one-time "senior's moment"), then Bush would likely step up as a replacement candidate. The uncertainty that this generates among the Republicans wouldn't be enough to give the race to Mondale, but it would probably save him from getting utterly pulverized like OTL.
 
I agree with what GeographyDude said. I may dislike Reagan's policies, but I think he was a decent enough man to admit when he's no longer fit for office and would step down voluntarily if he reached that point.
That's not what I meant to say. I agree that Reagan was a decent fellow in many regards. I still think he'd probably hang on too long, simply because people tend to do this.
 
IIRC, there were some signs sure his Presidency - he would forget names, etc. Not enough to seriously impair him from doing his duties.

I'll go with the thread and say that Reagan would probably step down of his own accord, though he might try to put it off until after '84 is decided. If it becomes apparent to the public, he might not have a choice, and trying to hide it beforehand might seriously hurt Reagan/Bush in '84.
 
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