The Worst Answer to "Why Do You Want to Be President?" in Campaign History | Losing Campaigns
Whistlestop: Presidential History and Trivia
Slate Podcasts
4.8 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 22 July 2015
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of Slate's podcast about presidential campaign history, chief political correspondent John Dickerson remembers when Ted Kennedy challenged incumbent President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980.
Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Whistlestop and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Whistlestop show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whistlestopplus to get access wherever you listen.
Email: whistlestop@slate.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | At Eon Next, we believe life's better when you know you can get your hands on discounts across a range of home energy solutions, like boilers and solar panels, so you can treat your home to a bit of future proofing. We think that makes energy a little |
| 0:14.5 | bit better. And that's why we're always working towards helping you get more out of |
| 0:19.2 | your energy. So visit eon next.com today. Discounts available to e-NEX's 31st of December 2023. |
| 0:26.0 | T's and C's eligibility criteria and geographical restrictions apply. |
| 0:29.3 | Hello and welcome to Whistlestop a podcast of campaign curiosities. |
| 0:37.0 | I'm John Dickerson, host of Face the Nation. Our whistle stop today is July 6 1979 and we are at the Aspen Lodge of the presidential retreat of Camp David in the Leafy |
| 0:55.6 | Katachten Mountains. Sitting on the floor propped up against a pillow and pressing his |
| 1:00.0 | pen with purpose into the curling pages of a yellow legal pad is none other than |
| 1:03.7 | the 39th president of the United States Jimmy Carter. He's been taking notes |
| 1:08.1 | since July the 3rd when he was returning from a summit in Japan on his way to vacation in Hawaii but on Air Force |
| 1:15.0 | One he was briefed about the situation back in the States. A trucker strike |
| 1:18.9 | had been added to the domestic list of woes and Carter's poll numbers were melting. His |
| 1:25.0 | pollster Pat Cadel had told him quote you have to come home now you have no idea |
| 1:30.0 | how bad it is here. Carter canceled the vacation and began a 10-day |
| 1:34.9 | secluded hiatus of introspection and presidential reclamation. This is the |
| 1:40.8 | story of the Democratic nominating fight in 1980 between incumbent Jimmy Carter and Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. |
| 1:48.0 | This is the second election cycle in a row where a powerful voice for the party base would challenge a |
| 1:54.9 | sitting president. In 1884, Chester Arthur was the last president who had not |
| 2:00.2 | been re-nominated by his party. Arthur was also the last president to have facial hair |
| 2:05.2 | mistaken for a garden shrub. In 1976, Ronald Reagan tried to be the first challenger to toss an incumbent, |
| 2:12.0 | as faithful whistle stop |
| 2:13.5 | listeners know and Reagan made it all the way to the brokered convention. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Slate Podcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Slate Podcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.