US Presidency
1984

One of the first to declare this was a former Democratic nominee for President, Al Smith, the Happy Warrior, who went before the nation in 1936 to say, on television, or on radio that he could no longer follow his party's leadership and that he was taking a walk. As Democratic leaders have taken their party further and further away from its first principles, it's no surprise that so many responsible Democrats feel that our platform is closer to their views, and we welcome them to our side. Four years ago we raised a banner of bold colors, no pale pastels. We proclaimed a dream of an America that would be a shining city on a hill. We promised that we'd reduce the growth of the federal government, and we have. We said we intended to reduce interest rates and inflation, and we have. We said we would reduce taxes to provide incentives for individuals and business to get our economy moving again, and we have.