The 1976 presidential primaries were entertaining as hell. In response to Jimmy Carter’s unexpected rise to the top of the pack of Democratic candidates, fascinated yet confused reporters wrote about the Southern evangelical society from which Carter came “as if it were as alien to American culture as a Balinese cockfight.”

The chief attraction of the 1976 primaries, of course, was Ronald Reagan, the Midwest radio sports announcer turned Hollywood B-list actor turned California governor turned conservative icon. Nobody was more quotable.

A few years earlier, in response to people attempting to fulfill the demands of Patty Hearst’s kidnappers by donating groceries to impoverished Californians, Reagan revealed his true feelings about the poor: “Sometimes you wonder whether there shouldn’t be an outbreak of botulism.”