In the election of 1976, the people of the United States of America made the collective decision that they were not happy with the currently residing president, Gerald Ford, who came into office my a series of misfortune and scandals rather than direct election. Instead, the people elected Jimmy Carter to become the next president. This firmly sets the stage for the election of 1980. The voters obviously looked for someone to well represent their interests and views and they felt that they were not receiving that. In the election of 1980, the voters again chose a candidate other than the incumbent president. For two elections in a row, the American people felt that there was a candidate that was better suited for the presidency than the man…show more content… During Carter’s 1980 campaign, his media advisor, Gerald Rafshoon, wrote a memo saying that the public now found that Carter was an “inept man”. He described Carter as “weak and indecisive”. While campaigning in 1976, Carter used the “high” “misery index” against President Ford. He stated that the rate was at 15 percent. Within three years of Carter’s administration, that same number had risen to 19 percent. Inflation was at an extremely high right, and it irritated American citizens. Carter went to Camp David and hosted several major officials to develop a plan to fix the crisis at hand. He failed to manage the crisis. Shortly afterward, on November 4, 1979, there was the Iran Hostage Crisis. Several Iranian students breached the United States Embassy in Tehran. They took a large number of American citizens hostage. So as to not negotiate with terrorists, at first Carter refrained from doing much. The crisis had a substantial effect on the election of 1980 and allowed Reagan to gain even more…show more content… A daily newspaper for Southern New Hampshire, Nashua Telegraph, offered to host a debate between Reagan and the other serious Republican candidate, George H. W. Bush. The other Republican candidates felt it was unfair and the same legally as making a campaign donation to Reagan and Bush. Instead, Reagan offered to host the debate. He decided to invite the other candidates, however, which angered Bush. After half an hour of sitting on stage waiting for something to begin, Reagan decided to step up and tell the crowd what had happened. The soundman was ordered to cut off Reagan’s microphone off the editor of the Nashua Telegraph, which left Reagan stunned. He leaned forward and said, “Is this on?” and then sat down and continued to talk. “Mr. Green,” he said, intending to speak to the editor, Mr. Breen, “if I could-“ and the microphone was ordered to be cut off again. Reagan turned to face Mr. Breen and announced, “I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green.” Historians and analysts say this may have been the official turning point for Reagan’s campaign. He showed the constituents that he was capable of being “tough” and