Previous
-
1980: The most famous October surprise is one that never happened. Republican challenger Ronald Reagan kept suggesting that President Jimmy Carter was trying to time the release of 52 American hostages held by Iran for just before Election Day. It didn't happen. Instead, Iran freed its hostages just hours after Reagan's inauguration.
Photo caption: Republican candidate for President Ronald Reagan, left, and his running mate George H.W. Bush answer questions during a press conference Friday, July 26, 1980. -
Sept. 15, 2008: Lehman Brothers investment bank filed for the nation's largest bankruptcy ever, setting off a stock market crash and global financial panic that voters largely blamed on the Republicans in power. Sen. John McCain didn't help his cause by declaring that "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" - a statement mocked by Barack Obama's campaign. That's not to say Obama wouldn't have won, anyway, but it would have been a different race. -
Oct. 31, 1968: The idea of the autumn game-changer dates at least to President Lyndon Johnson, who announced a halt to bombing in Vietnam on Oct. 31, 1968, giving a boost to the campaign of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Richard Nixon won that race anyway. Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign benefited greatly from an October announcement by his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, that "peace is at hand" in Vietnam, which proved premature.
Photo caption: President Lyndon B. Johnson, left, with Senator Hubert H. Humphrey at the White House. -
Oct. 29, 2004: Osama bin Laden releases a video threatening more attacks unless the U.S. changes its ways. It was widely reviled as a terrorist calling for Americans to vote against their president, George W. Bush, and instead strengthened the president's campaign. John Kerry would later contend that the video cost him the race. "It changed the entire dynamic of the last five days," Kerry said. -
Oct. 12, 2000: Al-Qaida in Yemen terrorists blow a hole in the USS Cole as it sits in port, killing 17 sailors.The gut-wrenching shock to the nation didn't have a clear impact on the race between Gore and Bush. Later, a minor November surprise - the revelation that Bush had been arrested on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge back in 1976 - stirred Republican indignation because it came just five days before the election. Voters shrugged it off.
Photo caption: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole is towed from the port city of Aden, Yemen.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.