If you don't read Heather Cox Richardson...

[JHB]

29. Oh, not this again. Hostage crisis, Desert One failure, oil shortages,...

...inflation, high interest rates, evangelicals fleeing the Democrats to Reagan because they blamed Carter for a Ford-era ruling against "segregation academies," "good for Israel?" single issue voters who went to Reagan or Anderson because they thought the Camp David accords were a raw deal for Israel and who took some of Carter's human rights talk about Palestinians as giving aid and comfort to terrorists (see, for example Ed Koch), assorted other "Reagan Democrats," several other prominent Democrats floating the idea of challenging Carter before dropping out (Carey, Proxmire), etc.

But sure, it's all Kennedy's fault for "weakening" they guy with a raft of things going against him but was still neck and neck with Reagan until -- now confirmed as thanks to Reagan -- the hostages did not come home before the election.