© Mark Erickson/Getty Images Walter Mondale in 2002It isn't fair to Walter Mondale that his legacy will be defined by his landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election, but it is also unavoidable. Unfortunately, though, Mondale will be remembered primarily for his landslide loss to Reagan in the 1984 presidential race. On one of the most critical issues in the campaign — taxes — Mondale operated on the quaintly conservative idea that government spending should be paid for. By 1984, Mondale believed the bill was coming due. Walter Mondale was happy to see it happen.
