In February 1978 the good old USA had big problems, inflation was high and also unemployment was high.  This was stagflation and it was raging.  No one seemed to have a handle on how to address these multiple issues.

Jimmy Carter was the serious president attempting to deal these issues in a serious way, as an adult president.

1978 was the final year of the era when you could be a president looking to solve problems. From 1979, with the start of the "Killer Rabbit" fake scandal, the right-wing attack machine found its stride and has not let up since then. In fact, you can draw direct line to Joe Biden stealing the 2020 election.