[lbo-talk] Context for 1984 Reagan campaign advertisement

[Sean Johnson Andrews]

Speaking of history, I need to draw on some of the collective wisdom of the 
list.  As an option for a class I'm teaching this summer, I told my students 
they could review a set of TV advertisements for a presidential campaign on 
a web archive called "Living Room Candidate."  I have had two students look 
at the Reagan/Mondale campaigns in 1984 and have wondered about the meaning 
of the Reagan advertisment called "Bear."  Having watched all the ads in 
that campaign, and reviewed my history of the era, I can only come up with 
vague possibilities.  The ad seems to assume it's audience knows what it is 
talking about.

Any ideas?

Here is a link to the page of both campaigns:
http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/election/index.php?nav_action=election&nav_subaction=overview&campaign_id=173
Bear ad:
http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/player/index.php?ad_id=923
Transcript for Bear Ad:
"ANNOUNCER: There is a bear in the woods. For some people the bear is easy 
to see. Others don't see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others 
say it's vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who's right, 
isn't it smart to be as strong as the bear? If there is a bear?"

[The obvious answer is that it is the USSR, but wouldn't the question at the 
time not be about the bear's existence but about whether it was balding, 
weak, toothless and crippled or the #1 threat facing America.  (Makes me 
wonder if the ambiguity is what leads Stephen Colbert to make his rants 
about bears--just a big inside joke: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBuXz4ozJLc ]

A similar ad ran during the 2004 Bush campaign, but at least it clarified 
what the wolves were:
http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/player/index.php?ad_id=1204