In the aftermath and interminable spin of Tuesday night’s Second Presidential Debate, I thought I would look back at another Second Presidential Debate, which occurred in 1980, featuring incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter against Republican Challenger Ronald Reagan:

The temperamental contrast between the two men was at the center of what may have been the campaign’s decisive moment: the Reagan-Carter debate of October 28, a week before the election. Both candidates held their own on substantive issues—indeed, many observers thought Carter was the better of the two, but Reagan was more relaxed and confident. When Carter accurately pointed out Reagan’s record of opposition to the Medicare program in the hopes of portraying his opponent an extremist, Reagan ignored the charge and softly replied, “There you go again,” a line he had rehearsed in debate practice. He wound up the debate with an effective iteration of his basic campaign theme asking Americans to make their decision on the basis of the Carter administration’s record: “Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?” For voters who answered “no” to these questions, Reagan was the clear alternative.

Reagan widened his lead in the polls in the week after the debate. The Reagan team had earlier worried that Carter might pull off an “October surprise” by winning freedom of the Americans held hostage in Iran, but after the debate they doubted that even this would rescue the President. On election day, Reagan overwhelmed Carter, winning 51 percent of the vote to Carter’s 41 percent. Anderson had less than 7 percent of the vote but siphoned support from Carter in states such as New York and Massachusetts, enabling Reagan to carry these states and win an electoral landslide. Reagan won 489 electoral votes to Carter’s 49.

Carter’s showing was the worst for any incumbent President who sought reelection since Herbert Hoover in 1932. This was largely because the frustrations with Carter outweighed the reservations about Reagan among undecided voters, who broke heavily against the President. Reagan did well among Catholic voters and made inroads among working-class Democrats and union families. He also did well in the South, which was Carter’s base. And the country as a whole was in the mood for change. The Republicans picked up fifty-three seats in the House of Representatives and twelve in the Senate, giving them a majority for the first time in the Senate since 1954.

While I’m not saying that Romney is Reagan, I am saying that I am experiencing a bit of Deja Vu, and evidently, so are the Democrats, as reported by the Washington Post:

Mitt Romney has taken a six-point lead over President Obama in the latest Gallup national tracking poll — his biggest lead to date and the first time he has led outside the margin of error.

The latest seven-day tracking poll of likely voters shows Romney at 51 percent and Obama at 45 percent, up from 50-46 on Tuesday and 49-47 on Monday.

Romney has steadily gained in the Gallup poll in recent weeks, turning what had been a growing deficit in September into a growing lead since his strong first debate performance. And when Gallup shifted its voter model from registered voters to likely voters last week, Romney’s numbers improved even more (among registered voters, the race is at Romney 48, Obama 46).

The new numbers, of course, don’t include much or any data collected after Tuesday night’s debate. It will take days to determine what effect that might have had.

Gallup continues to show a better picture for Romney than most other pollsters. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Monday showed Obama at 49 percent and Romney at 46 percent, while a Politico-George Washington University poll showed Obama at 49 percent and Romney at 48 percent.

In addition, Democrats have cast doubt on Gallup’s likely-voter model, with the Obama campaign releasing an entire memo on it earlier this week when Gallup showed Romney opening up a similar lead in the 12 most competitive states in the country.

But, hey, the First Mooch, err, Lady isn’t worried, per The Weekly Standard:

At a fundraiser today in New York, First Lady Michelle Obama expressed confidence in her husband’s chances for reelection. “On Nov. 7 we’re going to party hard,” she said. Election Day this year is November 6.

From the pool report:

“After hearing my husband talk about his values and his vision at the debate last night, I’m pretty fired up,” she said. “Let me tell you, I am so glad last night was such an awesome, awesome event,” she said. She mention[ed] her recent anniversary on Oct 3, the night of first debate.

“We got a quick little dinner. That’s about it,” she said. “But it’s okay. On Nov. 7 we’re going to party hard.”

Her biggest applause lines were about Obama’s policies on women – notably the Lily Ledbetter Act and women’s control of their bodies. She also won applause by talking about passage of the Affordable Care Act.

The way it looks now, Michelle, you won’t have the time, nor be in the mood to par-tay on November 7th. You’ll be too busy reserving a Moving Van and stealing…err, packing up the White House China.

I’m lovin’ it.