For his re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Walter Mondale, Ronald Reagan’s advertising team created “Prouder, Stronger, Better,” also commonly referred to as “Morning in America.” The ad was a syrupy, Norman Rockwell-esque portrayal of America restored to prosperity after four years of Republican leadership. “This ad is famous for its rosy picture of a new day in the US — but it also has a subtle racial dynamic, for it almost exclusively depicts rural and suburban whites, distancing itself from minorities and urban centers associated with nonwhites,” Haney López told BillMoyers.com. The same could be said of Reagan’s “Train” ad.
