In 1976, Gerald Ford won the republican nomination over Ronald Reagan. The majority of voters preferred a candidate with substance and experience, not a faded B-movie star whose only reputation was getting tough with student protestors in California when he was governor.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter was ahead in the polls until two weeks before the Election. Then something turned and Reagan first won, and then galvanized public support.
In 1986 Fred Grandy (Gopher from "The Love Boat"
because a House member from Iowa for four terms.
In 2003, there were more than a dozen candidates running for governor of California. Movie star (not actor) Arnold Scwartzenegger "captured the imagination" of voters (who bothered to show up to vote) and won a plurality, a low plurality.
In 2008, we dodged a bullet with Sarah Palin trying to elevate herself to celebrity to allow her election to the second highest post in the nation.
All I can figure is the prophetic words of a childhood friend who honestly told me why she liked Palin: She looked like she was fun.
That's right, "fun". And this may explain why when many voters make their choice, it's on the level of a Nielsen survey, not political office with consequences.
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