Ford wins the close election of '76 and faces the same headwinds as Carter did in the late 1970s. The Democratic ticket of Walter 'Fritz' Mondale and Dale Bumpers wins handily in 1980. And Mondale has a highly successful presidency, in particular:
1) presiding over the economic boom of the 1980s, and
2) by negotiating from a position of matter-of-fact strength, reducing intermediate-range missiles in Europe and essentially bringing an end to the cold war much as Reagan did. In addition, Mondale moves quicker on legitimate win-win trade agreements with the former Soviet Union thereby helping their transition period.
And when President Fritz Mondale gives his farewell address on Jan. 18, 1989, he is if anything even more popular than President Reagan was when he left office.
Alright, tell me how Fritz does it and tell me more.