Donald Trump is Trying to Pull a Reagan, and It’s Not Going to Work
He’s counting on the fallacy of introspection.
There’s a popular question that polls use to gauge voter attitude. It was first raised by Ronald Reagan, during his only debate with Jimmy Carter before the 1980 presidential election.
It went like this:
Are you better off today than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?
— Ronald Reagan, 1980 presidential debate
Reagan goes on like this for awhile, pulling in issues that range from the economy to national security.
The question was rhetorically effective.
Reagan wanted to make the election personal for Americans. He wanted them to base their decision on emotion and gut instinct, not reasoning or evidence. He wanted them to be selfish and introspective. Then he wanted them to rationalize what they…
