1980 Presidential Candidate Debate: Governor Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter - 10/28/80

Haha, 32 years later, we're still talking about "what are you going to do about Afghanistan and Iran?"

This is a debate,
They talk about the issues and are respectful.
The debates of today are shameful

Notice how civilized and relatively informative this is compared to today's debates.

the best part of the debates is that the candidates were allowed to pause, gather thoughts sometimes fumble over their words, and no one cared because what they said is what mattered. Nowadays we judge politicians on how well they can polish their empty words

These debates are so civil and respectful. The mod's don't seem biased and the candidates seem to want to talk about issues. What happened?

This is what a presidential debate is supposed to look like for those who don't know.

So back then, debates were actually focusing on issues in the country rather than boasting about poll numbers and insulting the candidates?

Back in an era where you could civilly disagree politically. Nowadays its like everyone wants to cut heads off for simply disagreeing

My internet explorer is sort of laggy but VOTE FOR REAGAN

"We don't have inflation because the people are living too well, we have inflation becsuse the government is living too well" brilliant Ron

Reagan, one of the greatest Presidents of all time.

Amazing how respectful the moderator and panelists were with their questions. Moreover, how respectful Pres. Carter and Pres. Reagan were as well to one another. In contrast with today, the Presidential candidates and debates are a clown show not to mention out right sickening.

I was 18 when this debate took place. A lot of people forget this was a tight race, even though things were bad under Carter, with many still being undecided before the debate. The main reason was a lot of people still had this image of Reagan being a belligerent warmonger who was going to send American troops all over the place. The one thing this demonstrated, besides showing Reagan could stand toe-to-toe with Carter in a debate, was that he was not the scary war-loving monster many tried to portray him to be. It played a key role in turning what was close race into a landslide for Reagan.

REAGAN: The last TRUE Conservative ... God bless him...

Ron, Nancy RIP

Wow, what happened to our Presidential debates? These men actually had to give intellegent, well-thought out, articulate answers to very specific and precise questions. What a revolutionary idea.

"We don't have inflation because the people are living too well. We have inflation because the government is living too well." ~Reagan #Reagan5ever

The way Reagan speaks... jesus, no one speaks like that anymore. So eloquent and his words are so thought out. Its astonishing and amazing.

Oh so this is what a real debate looks like...

Reagan was just an outstanding man.

I decided to watch this to see a debate in which even the weaker candidate is clearly better than any candidate in the last four elections.

When Democrats and Republicans did not hate eachother and 2nd amandement wasn't even an issue

God bless you, Ronald Reagan.

I was a child during the Reagan administration. .......it was nice to have a strong leader while I was growing up......these days it hard to know for certain who to trust anymore.....

Imagine if any of these guys debated Hillary today.

This Reagan guy's got my vote.

Reagan was a well-read, knowledgeable, thoughtful man of vision. The media always portrayed him as a clueless buffoon -- and Reagan loved that!!!

RIP Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It was a storybook love story. We won't be saying that about bill and hillary

Man, Reagan was presidential material

Reagan is such a good speech maker.

I'm endorsing old footage of Reagan for President in 2016!

God bless Ronald Reagan. I can't even imagine how he would turn around in his grave seeing America today. Boy do we need him now! 

Carter absolutely hated Reagan, but stayed professional nonetheless. Reagan beat Carter fair and square. Today's candidates are a total embarrassment and act like complete tools. Heavens to mercy.

RIP Nancy Regan 1921-2016

I think that President Carter believed in his heart that Government was the answer to everything. Only Government could save the country. I also believe in my heart that Ronald Reagan believed that the human being was the answer. Only hard work and entrepreneurism could make America better. I like Reagan's answer...after all, it's how America started....That is a fact. We The People.

May you rest in peace Ronald Reagan

I turned 18 in September of 1980. I was an avid student of politics, and was very committed to the founders intentions in our Constitution to let the ultimate power rest with the people, controlling the government, rather than government dictating to the people.
Reagan dominated Jimmy Carter, because Reagan owned his ideas with true conviction, and he had a clear vision of things as they were, and as they could again be if we righted our course.
I proudly cast my first ever vote for Reagan.

Reagan's question at 1:31:45 crystalized this debate perfectly. One of the most powerful closing statements in modern presidential debate history.

its more respectful in part because Carter was a decent man.

Reagan was the greatest President of my time

Reagan was the greatest!

It`s hard to believe Carter is still alive. this debate was like thousands of years ago haha.

Reagan's Presentation during thisdebate! Underscores why I am a Republican! I was 7 years old when this debate originally occured. I just wished I could have appreciated it at age 7.

It was great to have a candidate who understood conservative principles well enough to communicate them.

Thank you Ronald Reagan for your great leadership. It was you who changed the mind of my parents to leave the democrat party and vote for you. I was taught dinner table politics that were republican ideas by the age of 10. I heard your speeches and we discussed you among my friends walking home from grade school. Thank you.

back when debates were intelligent and honorable. both candidates showed class. I liked Reagan and I'm a liberal

Reagan's line about the single line of people unemployed would stretch from New York to Los Angeles at around 1:32:40 was a really interesting technique

Ronald Reagan, master debator.

Thank you for posting this! I've been looking for decades for a rerun of this but without success, in either video or audio. I heard this on the car radio as a young teen, and never since till now.

"We don't have inflation because the people are living too well. We have inflation because the government is living too well." EXACTLY

They shook hands.

Jimmy never stood a chance.

Wow...I was only 7yrs old then....but i remember this election like it was yesterday!

Conundrum is something that is puzzling or confusing.
Six contradictions of socialism in the United States of America:
1. America is capitalist and greedy - yet half of the population is subsidized.
2. Half of the population is subsidized - yet they think they are victims.
3. They think they are victims - yet their representatives run the government.
4. Their representatives run the government - yet the poor keep getting poorer.
5. The poor keep getting poorer - yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.
6. They have things that people in other countries only dream about - yet they want America to be more like those other countries.
That pretty much sums up the USA in the 21st Century.

i love reagan

This was the day before I was born.

He was an actor and spokes person for General Electric, before assuming the office of Governor...that is why he was good.

Carter seems like a good guy with bad policies and lack of charisma
Reagan's opening remarks alone must have boosted him up 5%

Amazing how much history repeats itself in terms of the issues and how similar the talking points for both parties remain as they were 32 years ago.

There you go again...

Ronald Reagan: Dignity, grace, strength and courtesy and Pres. Carter though weak and ineffective was a gentleman. None of the blatant NLP usage of Obama.

THIS is what a Presidential Debate should be and how Presidents and Presidential candidates should act. Unfortunately, both are worried more about getting on The Tonight Show and being a celebrity.

The time in which this debate takes place is incredible pertaining to terrorism and the airliner hijackings of that time. Considering what would eventually happen 21 years later, it's pretty chilling.

Convinced once again that Ronald Reagan was the best president of the modern age.

REAGAN: (paraphrasing) "...when I was young, the nation didn't know it had a racial problem."

Down with the Federal Reserve !

44 states and 489 electoral voes. case closed

Good Day to all! We Love President Ronald Reagan from all of our hearts!President Ronald Reagan was the greatest President in U.S.History! with Deep respect for President Ronald Reagan,TG.

Back then people voted with their brains and not their emotions like they do today. So many Obama voters today voted for him simply because they liked him, even though a lot of them admitted their lives were no better after 4 years.

Civilized debate.

Ronald Reagan. The greatest president in modern history. I was quite little when he was president. When I heard people talk about him, it was always positive. From both Democrats and Republicans. When he talked to us in his speeches, he talked liked he was our friend. Whenever we had any military action. He would explain what was going on. Why we were going in. And how we were going to do it. He was a great man and a great president.

I love carters face after the first question when Reagan answered like he already knew he lost.

1:22:00 "I was a democrat. I said many foolish things back in those days."
Ah ha! That really made my day.

Carter was the last conservative Democrat. Reagab was the last conservative Republican. God help us

Reagan wrote checks from the Oval Office to people who wrote to him for help.

Just finished watching the GOP debate....my god, bring back the golden days!

Reagan why did you have to go?

There are to many haters LIERS and cheaters against ronald reagan the strength that Americans once had

The Misery Index was a mistake for Carter. It did not do too much to win against Ford, but when Reagan used it against Carter himself, he defeated Carter right then and there.

you are right . i first listened to his address as governor of CA & i became his fan.Amazing voice & speech , he magestically delivers in Hollywood style as an actor ,it leaves the audience spellbound.

We need you now in 2015

If I only knew how great a man he was when he was in office...watching him makes me long for those years again.

57:05 Best and most relevant question of the debate.

There you go again at 1:15:10

wish he could have ran a 3rd term,believe it would have been a landslide over Dukakis as well

39:52 good ol reagan humor

I like how there's either no audience or they are serious and quiet. It's not treated like a damn sporting event.

Wow - 60 Billion deficit in 1980 - 16 Trillion Today. Good grief.

One of the best!

Sorry pal, but I'm old enough to remember Ronald Reagan, and I can flatly tell you Obama is no Ronald Reagan. It's not even close.

Contrast the class and dignity of Ronald Reagan with the shrill/hysterics of Donald Trump---never during this debate did Reagan call out Carter as a "Liar"/threaten to sue/belittle him etc--Reagan would simply point out that his assertions were wrong and when Carter kept making more of them-Reagan would retort "there you go again"--I really miss Mr. Reagan--you may not have agreed with his policies etc but he was a gentleman and respected his opponent

"We must share in scarcity and sacrifice and get used to doing to without....." For people who want to know why many Americans love Reagan so much-that quote right there revealing Jimmy Carter's message regarding economics is the exact reason. For those that wonder why people hate Obama so much: He believes the exact same thing. Reagan brought the attitude that America deserves to be prosperous, and the idea that anyone should "get used to failure" so to speak is absurd. The economy was in the tank in 1980 as it is now and I think Carter is Obama's idol, that isn't a good thing by a long shot. Reagan made Americans proud to be American again, hence the 1984 slogan: It's Morning in American again."

I always find it interesting that those who claim to have 'open minds', are the one's who are the most closed minded. Truth.

God Bless America

"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism"-Ronald Reagan

59:30 Democrats for coal? I'm confused.

what happened to "no applause please", does that rule only apply to presidential debates? the primary debates have been obnoxious, mostly because of the crowd.

Regean policies still stand today & we need them now more than ever

This country needs another Reagan

Amazing. Almost 30 years later (2010) we are still worrying about the same issues discussed in the debate. Oil dependence, Iran/Iraq and terrorist, economic inflation and unemployment.
Regan fixed many of the problems discussed using conservative ideologies. Many of the ideas and policies adopted by Carter which contributed to many of the issues in the first place is being adopted today.