ampaigning, it was too content free for effective governance.
A central fact about Reagan as politician is that he is a former actor. That he was an actor (and never a first line star) frequently caused opponents to underestimate him, yet it was
actually central to his political strengths. His "need for showmanship" thrived on campaign settings (Harwood, 1980, p. 291).
Thus, for example, the conventional assumption among Reagan's opponents was that he was too ill informed and his ideas too poorly thought out to survive a debate. In a debate, they thought, he would be exposed as shallow and ignorant. In the first debate with Mondale in 1984, this in fact happened; Reagan was "overprepared" and confused. In other debates, however, he shone: it was an ideal chance to perform in front of the public. In 1980, Reagan wanted debates (against the views of many of his own advisers) as a performance opportunity (Harwood, 1980: 301). Reagan was right and his advisers were wrong. In Nashua, and against Carter in 198
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