Reagan had a lot of optimism which was needed by the
American public
Goldwater speech got him support of many conservatives
Carter looked terrible throughout the election with inflation
and the Iran hostage crisis taking up the spotlight
Reagan did really well in the only debate with Carter
Conservatives thought that the liberal policies of the sixties
seventies were a big waste and wanted to change them
Free to Choose was written about leaving the economy to
work itself out
Feared what would happen if the public were to give in to
counterculture
Staunch anticommunist sentiment from conservatives and
Reagan was very anticommunist
New right grew in support
Johnson's policies caused liberalism to lose its appeal
Decline of Northern industries caused people to lose hope
about the future
Religious participation rose