Did the public not blame the greater Republican Party for Nixon? Was Reagan and his wing of the party able to distance themselves enough from Nixon? Or was Jimmy Carter that ineffective of a president?
Lynn Vavreck’s text “The Message Matters: The Economy and Presidential Campaigns” tells most of the story. Specifically, Ch. 1 states, “The most important constraint for all candidates is the condition of the nation’s economy.”
Carter’s tenure was marred by inflation arising primarily from the Arab oil embargo. This drove up input costs, reduced average productivity of labor, and resulted in a stagnant GDP. Americans feeling the squeeze bought into Reagan’s tax and market rhetoric.