The 1980 US Election: A Revolution - But Whose?

[WVProgressive]

1. Barry Goldwater quickly visits Puerto Rico, promising to look into giving the island territory statehood as President.

2. Goldwater goes to Arkansas promising to protect states rights, and reign in federal overreach.

3. Goldwater goes to Iowa, promising to reduce taxes, and reign in government spending

Endorsement: Barry Goldwater asks Ronald Reagan for his endorsement.

[Kitten]

McGovern will campaign throughout New Hampshire, hoping from college town to college town in hopes of getting young liberal voters out before primary night

McGovern visits Iowa, makes a speech about trade deals that he plans to get the US involved in if elected president.

McGovern will visit California, probably go and get a In-n-out burger, maybe smoke a little green, and try to make a good impression on the youth vote which he hopes will help him get a victory like '72.

Endorsement: McGovern will meet with Sen. Walter Mondale and ask for his support, he offered a key role in his administration, in particular foreign policy

[Rezi]

1. John Anderson will hold an expensive rally in Chicago where he champions the Equal Rights Amendment and promises that as president, its ratification will be his first priority.
2. Anderson meets with voters across the state of New Hampshire to talk about the day-to-day issues that plague them.
3. Anderson releases a plan that would provide tax credits for businesses which actively fund their Research & Development departments, hoping to spur technological advancements.

Endorsement: Representative Anderson will meet with New York Senator Jacob Javits to seek his endorsement.

[ShortKing]

1. Bush holds a rally in Iowa, touting his support for farmers and the agricultural industry.

2. Bush will barnstorm Texas, highlighting his Southern roots.

3. Bush will do a town hall Q&A style event with voters in Concord. 

Endorsement Request: Tennessee Senator Howard Baker

[Cal]

Bella Abzug. 

Battlin' Bella kicks off her campaign with a move straight from the future: she's going to Iowa! Representative Abzug seeks to begin a grassroots campaign in the state beginning with those who's support got her where she is today: women. She reaches out to League of Women Voters chapters across the state to organize events and reach out directly to supporters and local campaign organizers. (Event 1) 

Bella continues her early campaign with a stop in Maine. There, she highlights her dedication to important labor issues such as raising the minimum wage and greater workplace protections. (Event 2)

Her final stop of the week is back home in New York City, hoping to get a bump in the national polls by running up the score at home. She organizes a rally where she speaks about how her experience growing up in America with the support of two hardworking immigrants. And how her experience living as a normal American has led her to understand what it's like to struggle, and what role the government should play in the average citizen's life. She uses this anecdote to highlight her dedication to increasing welfare and affordable healthcare for all (Event 3). 

Abzug also reaches out to an old friend of hers: New York City Mayor Ed Koch. The two had worked closely together in the House of Representatives and had introduced together the first federal bill in support of gay rights. (Koch was a pretty staunch liberal to begin his career, surprisingly). The two had ran against one another in 1977 for NYC's mayoral election. While Koch won the primary, Abzug finished only 3% behind him. The two had a similar base and had fought for the city's large Jewish vote and the support of Manhattan. With the mayoral election behind them both, Abzug asks for his endorsement in launching her presidential campaign from a longshot campaign to a heavy-hitter. (Endorsement)

[Cal]

1. Brennan meets with labor organizers in NYC to begin building a campaign apparatus. 

2. Brennan organizes meetings with steel workers in Ohio. 

3. Brennan meets with voters in Massachusetts, hoping to pull off a miracle in the early voting state that tends to vote more liberally the the rest of the country. 

Endorsement: New York Senator Jacob Javits

[The Blood]

1. George Wallace will barnstorm in rural Iowa, summoning zeal as he speaks on inflation, saying, "Now I look around this room and I see the fine working class of this state. Farmers in Iowa and all across the Great Plains work long, hard hours to make a living and provide food for our nation and the rest of the world. How is it then these farmers, many of the people at this event, are seeing their livelihoods crushed by inflation!? Well, it's a simple matter of who benefits from this inflation. Arab dictators and sheiks love the money coming in when oil prices spike, especially when our leaders fail to secure energy independence in response. Multinational corporations love inflation, as they jack prices sky-high to suck the life out of working Americans all while their workforce is in India! Establishment politicians and Federal bureaucrats love inflation, because now they have an excuse to hike taxes and command the citizenry around, if you all remember President Ford dictating you to "whip inflation now." Folks, I am running for President because I have the commitment and policies to really whip inflation! As President I will drill, drill, and drill until our country is energy independent. I will empower American businesses with regulatory cuts and tariffs on foreign products so that our domestic industry may thrive and provide lower prices to you, the consumer. I will cut wasteful Federal spending which only feeds the beast of bureaucracy in Washington. And I will restore the Gold Standard, correcting Nixon's mistake to make sure inflation is solved once-and-for-all! Iowa, we can whip inflation now when Governor Wallace comes to town!"

 

2. Wallace will campaign in Massuchusetts, focusing on his promises to fight crime and bring jobs back to America, declaring, "The working class cannot be expected to survive when there's not a job to be found and when crime lurks in every corner! The people in Washington, people like President Ford, are privileged. They've never lived a day in their life when they've struggled to earn their keep. Everything they have has been handed to them. That includes their political careers, as we all know that wealthy donors lurk behind every Washington politician. The people in Congress and the White House are simply incapable of understanding the struggles of working Americans, and their rich handlers would prefer to keep it that way! Well, I am here to say that I'm not from Washington. I'm a plain-speaking Governor who has fought for everything I have in life and who has struggled against the establishment, the elites, and even a bullet to be able to speak to you today. I understand how the working class is being torn to shreds by crime and drugs. How so many are left helpless for work as companies move out of America and leave skyrocketing prices as a goodbye present. As President, I pledge that I will fight crime and restore public safety across this country! I will fight for American businesses by slashing burdensome regulations and applying tariffs on foreign goods so that jobs may come back to our country and prices may fall! I understand your struggles, Massuchusetts, and as President I will fight for you!"

 

3. George Wallace remembers all too well how Florida derailed his 1976 primary campaign. His loss to Carter began his campaign's downfall, and Wallace is determined to win the Sunshine State this primary season. That's why he'll hold townhalls all across rural Florida, pledging to tackle inflation, restore "law and order", and fight "the elites" in Washington so that "the working men and women all across Florida and the rest of America may thrive!" 

 

Endorsement: Wallace will seek the support of long serving Florida Congressman Charles Bennett. Knowing what makes Bennett tick, Wallace will sit down with the Representative to pledge his commitment to fiscal responsibility and paying down the national debt.

[Hestia]

1. Jimmy Carter will tour Iowa farms in the eastern part of the state, hoping to draw upon his relatively similar roots back in Georgia and take a path that other presidential hopefuls can't. He spends the day at a diner with locals.

2. Carter will meet with party bigwigs in California and hope to get those fundraising numbers up.

3. Carter will end his week in New Hampshire, campaigning for the votes of the people there.

Endorsement: Des Moines Register