Jimmy Carter...only the second worst president ever...
was eight points ahead in the Gallup Polls. Things were not going well for Republican candidate Ronald Reagan. He had a series of gaffes, i.e., claiming that Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, had eliminated its smog; that trees polluted as much as cars; and that Alaska possessed more oil than Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
Reagan had become bogged down in many controversies regarding everything from Taiwan to Vietnam, the Ku Klux Klan, the stealth bomber program and more. He confused facts and figures constantly. It appeared that Jimmy Carter would easily win a second term despite the issues with his administration that had upset the American people.