tendency for the Democratic Party to benefit from
the “gender gap,” with women being more likely to
vote for Democrats than Republicans.
Further Reading
Forest, John.Warriors of the Political Arena: The Presi-
dential Election of 1984.New York: Vantage Press,
- Useful account of the 1984 presidential
campaign.
Gillon, Steven M.The Democrats’ Dilemma: Walter F.
Mondale and the Liberal Legacy. New York: Columbia
University Press, 1992. Important scholarly analy-
sis of the problems the Democratic Party had in
the 1980’s competing against the highly successful
national political agenda set by Reagan and Bush.
This book may have helped Bill Clinton adjust the
Democrats’ agenda in order to win in 1992.
Mondale, Walter.The Accountability of Power: Toward
a Responsible Presidency.New York: David McKay, - Written for his 1976 presidential campaign,
this work by Mondale sets out his stand on na-
tional issues, which later helped set the Demo-
cratic agenda of the mid-1980’s.
Rainey, Austin.American Elections of 1984.Durham,
N.C.: Duke University Press, 1985. Leading politi-
cal scientist analyzes the 1984 election, consider-
ing the impact of the Mondale candidacy on the
congressional and gubernatorial contests.
Witt, Linda, Karen M. Paget, and Glenna Matthews.
Running as a Woman: Gender and Power in American
Politics.New York: Free Press, 1993. Important
scholarly work, including material on Ferraro’s
vice presidential bid.
Richard L. Wilson
See also Cold War; Elections in the United States,
1980; Elections in the United States, 1984; Ferraro,
Geraldine; Hart, Gary; Liberalism in U.S. politics;
Reagan, Ronald; Reagan Democrats.
Montana, Joe
Identification American football player
Born June 11, 1956; New Eagle, Pennsylvania
Montana was the most successful quarterback in the NFL
during the 1980’s, leading the San Francisco 49ers to seven
Western Division titles, five NFC championships, and four
Super Bowl titles. Montana is the only player in NFL his-
tor y to win three Super Bowl most valuable player awards.
A third-round pick in the 1979 National Football
League (NFL) draft, Joe Montana became the San
Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback ten games into
the 1980 season. In a late-season game against the
New Orleans Saints, Montana rallied the 49ers from
a 35-7 deficit to a 38-35 overtime victory. It was the
first of many late-game rallies Montana would engi-
neer for the 49ers, feats that earned him the nick-
name “Joe Cool.”
In 1981, Montana led the 49ers to a Super Bowl
victory. More impressive even than his Super Bowl
performance—for which he won the most valuable
player (MVP) award—was Montana’s showing in the
National Football Conference (NFC) Champion-
ship game. With the 49ers trailing the Dallas Cow-
boys 26 to 21 with less than five minutes remaining,664 Montana, Joe The Eighties in America
San Francisco 49er Joe Montana runs out of the pocket while he
looks downfield for a receiver.(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)