Exactly. The 80's were a revival for the US. The 70's were stagflation, the president talking about the "great malaise", a humiliating defeat in Vietnam, and

Exactly. The 80's were a revival for the US. The 70's were stagflation, the president talking about the "great malaise", a humiliating defeat in Vietnam, and a general view that it was "the end of America". Then comes along Reagan, defeats inflation (sure Carter started it, but Reagan didn't falter when the recession hit), then ushers in the biggest uninterrupted economic boom since the 60's and said "you should be proud to be American". He was elected with 51% of the vote in 1980 and remarkable 59% in 1984 (carried every state except MN). Of course along with that came things the left finds abhorrent - belief in capitalism, minimal government, pride in being American (basically hate speech to the left), so Reagan became a punching bag for the left and despite 30+ years having passed, they still love to blame him for things that happen today. But put into perspective, it shouldn't be surprising he was so popular at the time.