HE’D HAVE 2 OR 300 PEOPLE.
YOU OUGHT TO SEE YESTERDAY, WE
HAD 35, 40,000 PEOPLE.
>> 40 YEARS AGO THE NATION
WATCHED RONALD REAGAN WIN THE
PRESIDENCY ON AN ELECTION NIGHT
THAT WAS OVER NEARLY BEFORE IT
STARTED.
20 YEARS LATER ANOTHER ELECTION
NIGHT TOOK OVER A MONTH TO
DECIDE.
NBC NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
TOM BROKAW WITNESS TO BOTH LOOKS
BACK AT THOSE HISTORIC RACES AS
THE COUNTRY BRACES FOR WHAT
ELECTION NIGHT WILL BRING FOUR
DAYS FROM NOW.
>> IN THE CLOSING DAYS OF THE
1980 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN,
RONALD REAGAN, GOVERNOR OF
CALIFORNIA, SEEMED TO BE CLOSING
FAST ON THE INCUMBENT, JIMMY
CARTER, WHO WAS PLAGUED BY HIGH
INFLATION AND ALSO THOSE
AMERICANS BEING HELD HOSTAGE IN
IRAN.
>> NEXT TUESDAY ALL OF YOU WILL
GO TO THE POLLS, YOU’LL STAND
THERE IN THE POLLING PLACE AND
MAKE A DECISION.
I THINK WHEN YOU MAKE THAT
DECISION IT MIGHT BE WELL IF YOU
WOULD ASK YOURSELF ARE YOU
BETTER OFF THAN YOU WERE FOUR
YEARS AGO?
>> AFTER A STRONG DEBATE AGAINST
PRESIDENT CARTER IN THE CLOSING
DAYS, REAGAN CAUGHT FIRE.
>> DECISION ’80, NBC NEWS
REPORTS THE RESULTS OF OUR
NATIONAL ELECTION.
>> WHEN WE CAME ON THE AIR
ELECTION NIGHT, POLLS WERE
CLOSING, AND WE KNEW FROM EXIT
INTERVIEWS WITH VOTERS THAT
REAGAN WOULD HAVE A VERY GOOD
NIGHT.
>> WE HAVE BEEN POLLING AROUND
THE COUNTRY IN THE KEY STATES,
NBC NEWS AND "THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS" IS WHAT WE’RE LEARNING IN
THE KEY STATES THAT MAKES US
BELIEVE THAT RONALD REAGAN WILL
WIN A VERY SUBSTANTIAL VICTORY
TONIGHT.
>> WELL, THE PATTERN THAT WE
HAVE ON THE MAP ALREADY I THINK
DOES SHOW SOME OMINOUS SIGNS FOR
JIMMY CARTER.
>> JUST HOW GOOD QUICKLY BECAME
CLEAR AS THE POLLS CLOSED AND
WERE COUNTED.
IN THOSE DAYS, REPUBLICANS WERE
IN BLUE, AND THE COUNTRY QUICKLY
BECAME A REAGAN BLUE TIDAL WAVE.
>> THE MAP IS TURNING BLUE FOR
REAGAN.
NBC NEWS NOW MAKES ITS
PROJECTION FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
REAGAN IS OUR PROJECTED WINNER,
RONALD WILSON REAGAN.
>> IT WAS AN HISTORIC VICTORY.
THE FORMER ACTOR AND CALIFORNIA
GOVERNOR WAS DECLARED THE WINNER
BY 8:15 P.M. EASTERN TIME.
HE HAD ENOUGH ELECTORAL VOTES
BEFORE CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST
WERE COUNTED.
>> BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE A
SUBURBAN SWIMMING POOL OVER
THERE.
>> 20 YEARS LATER, ANOTHER
HISTORIC ELECTION, BUT THIS TIME
A NEW GENERATION.
AL GORE FOR THE DEMOCRATS AND
GEORGE BUSH FOR THE REPUBLICANS.
THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF TEXAS,
SON OF A PRESIDENT.
AND AT THE END, IT ALL CAME DOWN
TO THIS.
>> THEY NEED FLORIDA.
FLORIDA, FLORIDA, FLORIDA.
LET ME SHOW YOU ONE MORE TIME.
THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE.
FLORIDA, FLORIDA, FLORIDA.
>> AT FIRST IT SEEMED THAT GORE
WOULD WIN.
>> AN IMPORTANT WIN FOR VICE
PRESIDENT AL GORE, NBC NEWS
PROJECTS THAT HE WINS THE 25
ELECTORAL VOTES IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA.
>> THEN FLORIDA BECAME TOO CLOSE
TO CALL.
>> WHAT THE NETWORKS GIVE US,
THE NETWORKS TAKETH AWAY.
THE NBC NEWS IS TAKING FLORIDA
OUT OF VICE PRESIDENT GORE’S
COLUMN.
AND THEN BUSH.
>> GEORGE BUSH IS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
HE HAS WON THE STATE OF FLORIDA
ACCORDING TO OUR PROJECTIONS.
>> AND GORE WAS READY TO
CONCEDE, BUT WAIT.
THE VOTE KEPT CHANGING.
>> SO WE TAKE FLORIDA AWAY FROM
GEORGE W. BUSH.
THAT MEANS HE IS SHORT OF THE
270 ELECTORAL VOTES THAT HE
NEEDS TO WIN.
>> GORE WAS HEADED TO A
CONCESSION SPEECH, BUT HE TURNED
AROUND.
>> AS AL GORE HAS PULLED BACK
HIS CONCESSION SPEECH, WE’RE ON
HOLD AT THE MOMENT UNTIL WE GET
ALL THE VOTES IN.
>> BOTH SIDES BROUGHT IN THEIR
HEAVY WEIGHTS.
FOR GORE, THE FAMED LAWYER DAVID
BOYSE, FOR BUSH, FAMILY PREND
AND
FRIEND AND A FIGHTING LEGEND
JAMES BAKER, WHO ORGANIZED THE
MILITIA OF WARRIORS AND
POLITICAL INFIGHTERS FOR A
POLITICAL WAR.
EVENTUALLY THIS CASE WENT TO THE
U.S. SUPREME COURT, AND ON
ANOTHER CHAOTIC EVENING, WE GOT
THE COURT RULING.
>> IT IS NOW CONCLUSIVE THAT THE
25 ELECTORS OF FLORIDA MOVE INTO
GEORGE BUSH’S COLUMN AND CANNOT
BE CONTESTED.
>> GEORGE BUSH WAS THE NEW
PRESIDENT, THE SECOND IN HIS
FAMILY.
>> AND I WILL GIVE IT MY ALL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND GOD
BLESS AMERICA.
>> WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON THIS
ELECTION NIGHT IS NOT EASY TO
SAY AT THIS POINT, BUT IT’S
ALREADY CLEAR THAT IT’S NOT
GOING TO BE EASY OR TIDY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, AFTER ALL, HAS
MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE’S NOT
GOING TO WALK AWAY VERY EASILY,
AND THERE ARE ALL THOSE ABSENTEE
BALLOTS TO BE COUNTED, WHICH
WILL TAKE A LONG TIME.
SO WE HAVE ANOTHER EXTENDED