The magazine of the North Carolina Center for Voter Education • Saturday May 19, 2012

N.C. Voters Go 'Back to the Future'

By Damon Circosta
Published: May 18, 2011

RALEIGH - Eighties nostalgia seems all the rage these days. On film we have seen recent remakes of such 1980s hits as "The A-Team," "The Karate Kid" and "Wall Street." In fashion, both acid wash jeans and neon accessories are back in vogue.

But fondness for the '80s doesn't stop with fashion and film. According to a recent poll from the N.C. Center for Voter Education, North Carolina voters wouldn't mind having two prominent '80s politicians back in office as well.

The survey asked voters whom they would most want in charge again among several former presidents and North Carolina's four previous governors. With 45 percent of the vote, Ronald Reagan, who served from 1981-89, beat out presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Bill Clinton. At 36 percent, Jim Hunt, whose second term spanned 1981-85, was preferred over former governors Mike Easley, Jim Martin and Jim Holshouser.

Given that Reagan and Hunt came from opposing parties and didn't much care for each other's political positions, voters don't seem to be making a clear statement on governing policy. Instead, there may be a good bit of nostalgia reflected in these poll results.

Among Democratic voters, Reagan comes in second to Clinton -- but beats out FDR in the poll. Surely Franklin Roosevelt is a better philosophical fit for Democrats, but "the Gipper" appears to have won over many hearts in the party that opposed his platform.

The same seems true of Hunt, who was the pick of 26 percent of Republicans -- surpassing the 23 percent who favored Martin, the last North Carolina governor to emerge from the GOP.

In tough times like these it's natural to look back with longing at past political leadership and find something lacking in the current crop. Often the foibles of former leaders are forgotten and all that remains is our perception that times were simpler when we were younger. As Will Rogers said, "Things ain't what they used to be and probably never was."

While pure nostalgia might come into play, these poll results speak to something even greater than pleasant memories. North Carolinians recall President Reagan and Gov. Hunt fondly because both men had something that is in short supply these days: they knew how to lead.

Reagan with his talk of "morning in America" and Hunt with his belief in North Carolina's exceptionalism established the notion that a vote for them meant a vote for something better. Few politicians have been so adept as these two at expressing their vision for how things ought to be.

There is something special about politicians who can, in concise but specific terms, define how we should move forward as a state and nation.

In today's political climate there are some people who can talk in broad outlines and use visionary language, but lack the specifics needed to change policies. There are others who understand policy but put audiences to sleep when explaining their positions. Rarely do politicians have the total package, which is what makes Hunt and Reagan so remarkable.

It's important to learn from the past, but not be paralyzed by mourning the loss of an idyllic era that never really was. Our present politicians can emulate the leadership styles of figures like Hunt and Reagan, while crafting solutions unique to our current times.

Indeed, Reagan himself would caution against dwelling too long on days gone by. As he once said, "While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future."