Walter Mondale on Principles & Values
Shares Wellstone?s ideology, with a different style
Exactly what kind of name recognition does Mondale carry? There are plenty of voters in Minnesota who barely remember the '84 campaign, but who know from their parents and grandparents that Mondale, like Wellstone, is a reminder of what the Democratic
Party once stood for. A Democrat from back when the party hewed to the left on most social issues, Mondale is likely to pick up Wellstone's liberal banner as his own. Then again, his positions on current issues are not widely known.
And then
there's the personality factor: Many voters have said in recent days that they voted for Wellstone's passion rather than for his politics. Mondale, on the other hand, is not exactly known for his passion?so it's not clear whether his presumed liberalism
will prove as palatable to voters as his predecessor's did. Indeed, the Republicans are hoping the ideas that sounded relatively fresh coming from Wellstone will seem outdated and musty when voiced by Mondale.
Source: Jessica Reaves. Time.com
Oct 28, 2002
Selected first woman candidate for major party V.P.
The 1984 race between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan offered a clear-cut choice between liberal and conservative candidates and philosophies. Mondale won credit for being one of the best-informed candidates ever to run for the presidency.
He also added some spark to his campaign by selecting the first woman candidate for vice president on a major party ticket, Representative Geraldine Ferraro, a liberal who also appealed to many conservatives in her Queens, New York, district.
Source: Senate Historical Office, Vice Presidents of the US
Jan 1, 1997
Carter touted Mondale as better V.P. than Bob Dole
Mondale found the road to the presidential nomination tortuous and unendurable. For all the agony, Mondale's standing in the polls never rose. On November 21, 1974, he surprised everyone by announcing his withdrawal from the race.
A surprise candidate claimed victory in the Iowa caucuses: Jimmy Carter campaigned as an "outsider," removed from the Washington political scene. Of all the potential V.P. candidates, Carter found Mondale the most compatible.
The high point of the campaign for Mondale came during his televised debate with Bob Dole. Carter's advisers felt so certain that Mondale had won the debate that they featured it in televised advertisements,
asking, "When you know that four of the last six vice presidents have wound up as president, who would you like to see a heartbeat away from the presidency?"
Source: Senate Historical Office, Vice Presidents of the US
Jan 1, 1997
Counseled against Carter?s ?Malaise? speech
During the summer of 1979, Carter wanted to address the "malaise" that seemed to have settled on America. Mondale thought this analysis "crazy" and warned that if the president made such a negative speech he would sound like "an old scold and a grouch."
Although Carter's other advisers reluctantly came around, Mondale could not reconcile himself to Carter's position. "I thought it would destroy Carter and me with him," Mondale later noted. He felt so strongly about this issue that he contemplated
resigning if Carter gave the speech. The president [managed to] "convince him to support my decision even though he could not agree with it." Carter went on to deliver a televised speech warning of a "crisis of confidence" and to charge that Americans
were suffering from a national malaise. He followed that speech with a drastic overhaul of his cabinet, giving the impression that his administration was falling to pieces. The negative public reaction proved Mondale's concerns fully justified.
Source: Senate Historical Office, Vice Presidents of the US
Jan 1, 1997
Presidency needs goals, and needs to address the nation
As a rule, the best way to get the attention of members of Congress is to get the attention of their constituents. When the president launches a new program, proposes a new idea, he must go out and explain his purpose to the nation.
One of the first things a person learns in the White House is that the presidency can be impressive and strong, and yet incredibly weak if the American people do not understand, accept, and support what the president wishes to do.
Source:
Jun 23, 1993