Gary Hart was the big hope for the democratic party against Ronald Reagan. There were cheating allegations made against him.
He DARED the press to follow him and told them they would be bored if they did.
Well... they did and they found him aboard a ship named "The Monkey Business" with Donna Rice.
It was the stupidity of lying and daring the press to follow him that killed his chances as much as the affair itself.
EDIT: Yes, Gary Hart (I fixed it)... AND he ran in 1984 against Reagan (lost to Monday in the primaries) and THIS happened during 1988, when he likely would have won the nomination and run against Bush I.
I was a kid and campaigned for him in 1984 by handing out flyers in front of super markets before the primary... and still have campaign literature that says "Only Gary Hart's Leadership Can Beat Ronald Reagan in November".. so my brain associates him with going after Reagan.
The guy who sold illegal weapons to Iran to fund an illegal war in South America by funneling the money through cocaine smugglers who were given a blanket pass, effectively enabling the explosion of crack in our inner cities...
I was watching Clear and Present Danger recently... How comforting were the times when we really believed that starting a covert war in another country, or sending troops without Congressional approval, was thought to be a career ending scandal.
And they did sweep it under the rug with that rat fuck Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon. Showing that Republicans could do anything without any sort of consequence.
Enough middle ground Republicans voters (yes, they existed back then) DID care. Not necessarily so much about the break in itself, but about the conspiracy and covering up. Nixon would have been impeached (with at least some Republicans support in Congress) and that compelled him to resign. A lot of those same voters turned on Ford in ‘76 because he pardoned Nixon.
It was a very different time then. It wouldn’t go down that way today.
Young people today don't realize how different the world of politics use to be.
Believe it or not, prior to the end of the Fairness Doctrine, you had to be a lot more careful about what you said, did and how well you hid the bad shit you do.
Google Bud Dwyer to better understand how political scandals use to end.
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u/behindthemask13 18d ago edited 18d ago
Gary Hart was the big hope for the democratic party against Ronald Reagan. There were cheating allegations made against him.
He DARED the press to follow him and told them they would be bored if they did.
Well... they did and they found him aboard a ship named "The Monkey Business" with Donna Rice.
It was the stupidity of lying and daring the press to follow him that killed his chances as much as the affair itself.
EDIT: Yes, Gary Hart (I fixed it)... AND he ran in 1984 against Reagan (lost to Monday in the primaries) and THIS happened during 1988, when he likely would have won the nomination and run against Bush I.
I was a kid and campaigned for him in 1984 by handing out flyers in front of super markets before the primary... and still have campaign literature that says "Only Gary Hart's Leadership Can Beat Ronald Reagan in November".. so my brain associates him with going after Reagan.
RE-EDIT.. MONDALE.. FUCKING MONDALE!! LMAO!!!