Presidential debate on on October 28, 1980 Quotes

Context

This snippet of presidential sass was spoken by Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan during his debate with incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter on October 28, 1980.

Debates often get heated, from Quayle being "no Jack Kennedy" to Hilary Clinton accusing Barack Obama of "change you can Xerox."

But the most memorable zingers are short and salty, like Reagan's to Carter during the 1980 debates. When Carter accused Reagan of opposing Medicare and social security, Reagan simply said "There you go again," shooting Carter down faster than you could say "I will not make age an issue of this campaign," which would be Reagan's takedown of choice four years later. 

Where you've heard it

Bill Clinton repackaged Reagan's quip, the "Bye, Felicia" of political dismissals, at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. 

Additional Notable References

• If you have a cassette-playing Walkman and a handful of C-batteries, you can listen to an assortment of Reagan's famous quotes on this two-cassette set.
• For some reason, the Commission on Presidential Debates omits Reagan's snappy comeback from its transcript of this debate. 

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Some argue that Carter's criticism was correct, but Reagan's "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent" won the debate and the election.