Election '84: Way Down but Not Quite Out, The Democrats Regroup

Learning hard lessons and devising new approaches

The Democrats knew they were going to lose. They had time to steel themselves, to discount the loss and change the subject to 1988. Nevertheless, when the digital displays started flicking on Tuesday evening and the vote totals appeared, the thud of defeat was at last palpable. The party has now lost four of the past five presidential elections. It is being deserted by the nation's middle class and, perhaps even worse, by the young. One Democratic strategist, a key figure in the past four presidential campaigns,...

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