Reply #16: Actually my recollection is that both Carter and Muskie were viewed as slightly REJECTED.

[MADem]

Certainly, they were the winners in that they were the highest ranked 'name,' even though they didn't get the highest percentage of total support, but they had the aura of the first runner up nonetheless.

It didn't matter as much back then, because we didn't have an obnoxious, repetitive 24 hour news cycle, but the prevailing view was that they couldn't even pick the hick (Carter) or the cryer (Muskie) because they were perceived by caucus goers as lacking in some fashion.

I grew to like Carter, and was a bit irritated at their inability to see the full dimensions of Muskie, but I 'considered the source.' Then, I was getting my news from radio, international papers, and news magazines like Time and Newsweek (International) as I was following those contests as closely as I could manage from afar. There was more time to reflect, too--the hype was less pronounced back then and there was more in-depth analysis of candidate's actual views instead of focusing on dumb shit like their fashion sense or hairstyles.