John Anderson, where are you?

We never knew we had it so good. I was a senior in high school during the 1980 presidential election — the first one I remember with any depth — with Ronald Reagan and incumbent Jimmy Carter battling it out with former Illinois Republican congressman John Anderson, who was running as an independent.

Leading up to the election, which Reagan won in a landslide, were many entertaining moments as Reagan fought for the Republican nomination against, among others, George H.W. Bush. During one such moment before the New Hampshire primary, Reagan angrily chastised a debate moderator, arguing that other candidates should be allowed to debate alongside him and Bush.

“I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green,” Reagan said, incorrectly. (The moderator’s name was Jon Breen.)

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But the moment was a classic, and probably helped Reagan win the New Hampshire primary and, ultimately, the presidency.

Of course, there was the heated fight between Carter and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, a hard-fought contest that wounded Carter immensely as he headed into the November election.

Reagan and Carter had their moments of mild testiness, but their campaigns — and the primaries leading up to them — paled in comparison with the vitriol, rudeness and personal attacks evident in 2016.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders seem to be keeping things relatively polite, but one suspects that the virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses might heat things up a bit. But how to compare the Republican nominating season of today with that of 1980?

Can anyone imagine Reagan launching a vicious personal attack against a debate moderator, as Donald Trump has done to Megyn Kelly? Can you picture him attacking Muslims? “I’m paying for this microphone” was as vicious as it got.

Reagan would be appalled at the violations — by those Republicans at the top of the polls — of his 11th Commandment, “Thou shalt speak ill of no other Republican.”

Once elected, Reagan maintained a political rivalry with House Speaker Tip O’Neill, a Massachusetts Democrat. The two fought battle after battle, but still enjoyed frequent drinks together, a time to share their mutual Irish humor.

Politics was different then. Yet, I well remember, as I became interested in politics, lamenting the level of discourse even then. Why couldn’t Republicans and Democrats just come together on major issues, I wondered.

Little did I realize that compromise happened far more than I realized. Government was run. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t an ideal. But budgets were passed. Compromises were struck. Governance went on.

Today, I have a niece who has seen many of the Republican and Democratic candidates. She’s had her picture taken with Carly Fiorina. She’s had Hillary Clinton autograph an old coloring book featuring the former secretary of state. She’s excited that she lives across the river from Iowa and was able to see so many candidates.

But I have to wonder how she would compare what she’s seen with the election of my formative years. More than anything, I hope that, one day she doesn’t look back at this election cycle and regard it as the “good old days.”

We can do better.

Christopher Wood can be reached at
970-232-3133, 303-630-1942 or via email
at cwood@bizwestmedia.com.