A turning point in Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign against Jimmy Carter was Reagan's use of the simple phrase, "There you go again, Mr. President," in a debate with Carter.

Former Reagan Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver:

"As unpopular as President Carter was, the American people weren't really sure they could take a chance on Reagan. But 'there you go again, Mr. President,' (played well with the debate audience). They said, 'Oh, here's a regular guy. Here's a guy, we can trust him.' And you saw it, instantly, in the pulse polling we were doing, the needle went like that backstage. And the next day, just walking out of the hotel, you could feel it. Every stop we made the crowds were bigger, they were more enthusiastic. They knew, the people knew he was going to win now, and you could feel it."

Reagan biographer Lou Cannon:

"Reagan's voice was his great gift. He had this voice that took you in and it made you feel part of his world."

Former Reagan Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein:

"People used to say, 'How can an actor be president?' And Reagan's answer was, 'How can somebody be president without being an actor?'"