Revolution!!!

Jimmy Carter was a failure. He had the worst presidency since James Buchanan (1857-1861). Inflation and unemployment combined to make the "misery index." The misery index was around 25%. He was challenged by Ted Kennedy for the nomination. This challenge wounded Carter as Reagan's challenge wounded Ford in 1976. On top of this, Carter looked weak as Iran kidnapped 52 Americans and held them for 444 days. They would not be released until Carter left office.
Carter's challenger was the former governor of California. Ronald Reagan had led an insurrection against the Republican establishment. He stood for small government and lower taxes. His personal charisma and message was formidable and Carter knew he was in trouble. As a result, the Democrats attempted to paint Reagan as a warmonger as they did to Barry Goldwater in 1964. They failed. Reagan's charm and Carter's incompetence overcame any misgivings people had. When a rescue mission to free the hostages in Iran crashed in the desert killing the rescuers, Carter was toast. Reagan won in a landslide.
Four years later, Carter's Vice President, Walter Mondale, won the Democratic nomination and promised to raise taxes. Mondale's running mate was the first woman to run on a major party ticket. Unfortunately, Geraldine Ferraro's husband had IRS issues and was rumored to be tied to organized crime. Reagan was personally popular and the economy was the strongest peace time economy in history. Reagan won in the mother of all landslides. He won 49 states. The key moment came during the debates. Reagan looked old and lost in the first debate, but in the second debate, he was on fire. When the age issue arose, Reagan said he would not exploit Mondale's youth and inexperience for political gain. The election ended that night.
Reagan would serve two full terms and is now considered a near-great or even a great president by Republicans and Democrats (albeit begrudgingly) alike. He led a revolution that reverberates to this day and has led at least one imminent liberal historian to dub the era, "The Age of Reagan." Jimmy Carter is still alive, formed Habitat for Humanity, and has recently lost his mind. Walter Mondale is no longer with us.