The year was 1980. The month was November. The day was the 4th. That evening Ronald Wilson Reagan defeated sitting president James “Jimmy” Earl Carter to become the 40th President of the United States. Reagan actually won in an electoral and popular vote landslide.
Some things have changed quite a bit in the last 40 years. Other things have stayed the same.
Reagan was a Hollywood actor and former union leader turned Republican. He served the great state of California as a Republican Governor for two terms that ended in 1975. Carter was a peanut farmer, Georgia Governor, then as the Democratic nominee was elected as the 39th President in 1976.
Can you imagine a Californian Republican Governor today? Arnold “the Govenator” Schwarzenegger aside there hasn’t been one in 24 years. Can you imagine a Georgia Democratic Governor today? There hasn’t been one in 20 years.
Carter was viewed as incompetent and weak in the year leading up to the election. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981, after a group of Iranian college students who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. During a daring helicopter rescue effort one of the helicopters crashed into another leaving eight Americans dead. The attempt failed from the go.
Reagan took office on that same January 20th day of 1981 that the hostages were freed. Coincidence? Sam Donaldson, ABC White House reporter, famously stuck his microphone between Marines holding their swords high to create the “roof” along the red carpet as the new President and First Lady strode back to the Capitol Building. “Mr. President, Mr. President, there is a report that the hostages have been freed. Do you care to comment?” Reagan cocked his head as he was often want to do and uttered, “Well, God Bless America.”
Perhaps the Iranians knew there was a new sheriff in town. He often acted in Hollywood movies as the sheriff who corralled the bad guys. Maybe they wanted no part in a real life documentary with the same script. Reagan later coined the phrase “Peace Through Strength.”
And, 40 years later Donald Trump the 45th President, and another actor, warned Iran that any loss of American lives would result in appropriate retaliation. They decided to cross over The Apprentice’s line drawn in the desert sand. And Trump didn’t say “you’re fired,” rather, he fired. Soleimani was dead. Iran was incensed, or so they said. Just a few days later they retaliated sending several missiles at American bases in Iraq. Word is they gave advance warning of the missile strikes and the strikes all but missed their targets. No lives were lost, but inside of Iran face was saved.
Trump addressed America yesterday and all but said that now was a time to strongly consider peace rather than escalation. He all but said that as if he read the diplomatic tea leaves that Iran wants no more. He crowed about the 2.5 trillion spent to bolster the U.S. Military. Peace Through Strength all over again?
Cali won’t vote for Trump in 2020 like they did for Reagan in 1980. Georgia won’t vote for the Democratic nominee in 2020 like they did for Carter in 1980. But Iran, 40 years later, understands that when lines drawn in the sand are in ink, not pencil, that it’s time to stand down.