What was Ted Kennedy's rationale for challenging Carter in '80?

[urbanguerrilla]

?

[JI7]

1. same as most Democrats who run for President

they feel they can make a positive difference for the people.

[Crankie Avalon]

2. When asked that point blank by Roger Mudd...

...he famously couldn't answer. It was a defining moment.

[WI_DEM]

3. I remember that

it probably is what derailed his nomination more than anything.

[Crankie Avalon]

8. Yes, I googled to try and find something about it...

...and turned up this paragraph from a story about something else, among other things:

"This reminds me of the famous interview that Roger Mudd had with Ted Kennedy during his run for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination. Somewhere in the middle of the interview, Mudd asked Kennedy exactly why he was running for president, particularly against an incumbent Democrat. Kennedy, who had been doing well until then, was stunned and could not answer that most basic question. His candidacy died."

Link (go about halfway down the page): http://www.nareit.com/portfoliomag/02julaug/boardroom.shtml

[WI_DEM]

4. Ultimately Kennedy felt that Carter was too conservative

in his domestic policies. Of course compared to today, Carter is a liberal compared to Bush.

[expatriot]

5. Here is his campaign brochure (It's as simple as Google)

www.4president.org/brochures/tedkennedy80.pdf

‘FOUR REASONS WHY WASHINGTON NEEDS SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY IN THE WHITE HOUSE’


THE CARTER RECORD

1 CONSUMER PRICES UP 13.3%
2 HEATING OIL UP 94% GAS UP 84%
3 HOUSING COSTS UP 13.5% INTEREST RATES UP TO 12%
4 WORKERS' PURCHASING POWER DOWN 5.2%(1979 Annual Rate)

WHERE SENATOR KENNEDY STANDS ON THE ISSUES

INFLATION
America is experiencing the worst inflation rate in 33 years. When Jimmy Carter took office, inflationwas about 5 percent. Today, it's more than 13 percent. Even worse is the fact that our country still hasno effective program to combat inflation.Senator Kennedy has proposed a tough remedy to get runaway prices under control. He advocatesan immediate freeze -- followed by mandatory controls on prices, profits, dividends, wages, interestrates and rents.Tough medicine -- for a sick economy.

JUSTICE
At a time when the plight of many Americans has been forgotten, Edward Kennedy remembers.Blacks and women and Hispanics, the elderly, the poor and the helpless, the sick and the handi-capped -- Edward Kennedy remembers.He has never forgotten. Throughout his career he has battled inequality and injustice. His record is asummary of America's struggle over two decades.Protection of voting rights, equal pay for women, bilingual education, hot meals for senior citizens, 18-year-old voting, fair housing, public-service jobs, special education, the Equal Rights Amendment --Edward Kennedy has worked to even things up.It has become fashionable to forget, and Edward Kennedy believes that iswrong. The Democratic Party must remember. America must remember..rgd net.4Presi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOREIGN POLICY
America is drifting from crisis to crisis abroad, because at home there's been no clear direction givento our foreign policy. We've had a State Dept. talking one line and a Defense Dept. another -- andwhile they waffled in Washington, our diplomats were taken hostage in Iran and outside forces en-tered Afganistan.Sen. Kennedy would lead an Administration with a single voice on behalf of a foreign policy based onstrength, unity, fairness, and reason.We must commit ourselves to a defense second to none. We must work with our allies to forge closereconomic ties and a stronger military posture. We must insure the security of Israel's borders andpursue a peace in the Middle East. We must also explore all avenues to reducing world tensions.HOUSINGOwning a home has been a dream come true for many workers in the past. Today, with the price ofthe average new home at $57,300, that dream is a nightmare. Affording the down payment, and themortgage each month, is out of the question for many middle-class citizens.At the same time, interest rates have skyrocketed as part of the Carter Administration's economicpolicy. Mortgage rates of 12 percent or more make buying a house an impossibility even for thefortunate few who can make a down payment. Senator Kennedy opposes the high interest rate ap-proach put into effect by Paul Volcker, the man President Carter named to head the Federal ReserveBoard.ENERGYHome heating oil cost about 49 cents per gallon last year. Now it's 95 cents and going up. Gas at thepump has almost doubled to $1.20 per gallon. We need a President who will take the oil companiesand OPEC head on. Instead, Jimmy Carter took controls off the price of oil -- an action that will costthe average American family $1,000 per year for energy.Senator Kennedy advocates an energy program aimed at breaking our dependence on foreign oil. Heopposed decontrol of oil prices and urged legislation to keep oil companies from monopolizing otherenergy industries. And he's urging development of solar research, gasohol and synthetic fuels, en-ergy conservation grants and incentives.LEADERSHIPSenator Kennedy has served 17 years in the U.S. Senate. His record shows that, time after time, hespoke out for working people. He's fought for tax reform, civil rights, health care for all, and justice forsenior citizens. His record is one of compassion for people.He has known the pain of losing his brothers Joe, John, and Bobby, and his sister Kathleen. Thetragedies he's experienced have strengthened him as a man at the same time his 17 years of publicservice strengthened him as a leader. Senator Kennedy understands leadership. He knows how toget things done. Now, we in Washington have a chance to stand up for him. Your vote for SenatorKennedy can help put a leader back in the White House

[urbanguerrilla]

6. *sigh*

the more the things change, the more they stay the same.

He still should have waited till '84.

[WI_DEM]

7. I don't blame Carter for the world wide Inflation

any president who served those years would have had to confront it, and Carter did his best to release this country from foreign oil which was a very big part of the rate of inflation. His energy program was, indeed, working and our domestic stockpiles grew and we put limits on foriegn oil we would import--then Reagan came in and scrapped the entire program.

[blm]

9. He thought Carter was governing too conservatively and didn't address the

concerns of the more liberal Democrats.

That's what happens when the left becomes more divided.

[David__77]

10. Carter should not have run for reelection.

He has a lot of responsibility for opening the doors to the right, with his support for Paul Volcker's "controlled disintegration" of the economy, and his touting deregulation and deindustrialization as good for the country.

[LSdemocrat]

11. What I want to know is why didn't he run in 1976?