Politics of the eighties

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The politics of the eighties probably weren't substantially different than any other time. What made these years different was that one man substantially set the standard for the political agenda. His name was Ronald Reagan. And her name was Nancy Reagan.

A former actor, Reagan was known mostly for co-starring with a chimp, but as a candidate for president, he partnered with George Bush.

I personally was always partial to the Democratic nominee for vice-president. Mondale didn't excite me, but I thought Ferraro was fantastic. If you ever get a chance to watch the vice-presidential debate, do so, and chuckle. I think it's better than the Bentsen-Quayle debate myself.

Bush later made a successful run for the presidency, picking as his vice-president, Dan Quayle. I always saw that decision as an homage to Reagan's chimp days. Fortunately Bush had his wife going for him. Barbara was the grandmother we always wanted.

Now that I've established who was president, let's run through some scandals.

First, the Gary Hart debacle. This man actually ran pretty high in the polls at one point.

At least she was cute.

And the big scandal of the decade brought a new and familiar face to the American eye, Oliver North. Now he's a right-wing talk radio host. Look where lying to Congress will get you.

Iran-contra was a big deal, but nothing ever got really resolved. Who knew what, when, or why. A lot of heads rolled, but these folks started to stop making tapes after Nixon.

Doesn't seem like much has changed really.

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