The Kennedy-Nixon Debates
On September 26, 1960 (51 years ago today) the first televised Presidential debate takes place between candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy. The candidates were in a television studio in Chicago for the debate. Many political pundits believe that the debates were the key turning point of the campaign. There were four Kennedy-Nixon debates and they were the first presidential debates held on television. These debates attracted enormous publicity.
Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate started. He had not completely recovered from a recent hospital stay. In August, Nixon injured his knee on a car door while campaigning in North Carolina. The knee became infected and Nixon had to cease campaigning for two weeks while the infected knee was injected with antibiotics. When he arrived for the debate, Nixon looked pale, sickly, underweight, and tired. He also refused makeup for the first debate, and as a result his beard stubble showed prominently on the era's black-and-white TV screens. Nixon's poor appearance on television in the first debate is reflected by the fact that his mother called him immediately following the debate to ask if he was sick. Kennedy, by contrast, rested and prepared extensively beforehand. He appeared tanned, confident, and relaxed during the debate.
An estimated 70 million viewers watched the first debate. People polled who watched the debate on television overwhelmingly believed Kennedy had won, while radio listeners (a smaller audience) believed Nixon had won. After the debate had ended, polls showed Kennedy moving from a slight deficit into a slight lead over Nixon. For the remaining three debates Nixon regained his lost weight, wore television makeup, and appeared more forceful than his initial appearance. However, up to 20 million fewer viewers watched the three remaining debates than the first debate.
A majority of political observers at the time believed that Kennedy won the first debate, Nixon won the second and third debates, and that the fourth and final debate, which was seen as the strongest performance by both men, was a draw.
Following is a youtube video containing some excerpts from that debate:
Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate started. He had not completely recovered from a recent hospital stay. In August, Nixon injured his knee on a car door while campaigning in North Carolina. The knee became infected and Nixon had to cease campaigning for two weeks while the infected knee was injected with antibiotics. When he arrived for the debate, Nixon looked pale, sickly, underweight, and tired. He also refused makeup for the first debate, and as a result his beard stubble showed prominently on the era's black-and-white TV screens. Nixon's poor appearance on television in the first debate is reflected by the fact that his mother called him immediately following the debate to ask if he was sick. Kennedy, by contrast, rested and prepared extensively beforehand. He appeared tanned, confident, and relaxed during the debate.
An estimated 70 million viewers watched the first debate. People polled who watched the debate on television overwhelmingly believed Kennedy had won, while radio listeners (a smaller audience) believed Nixon had won. After the debate had ended, polls showed Kennedy moving from a slight deficit into a slight lead over Nixon. For the remaining three debates Nixon regained his lost weight, wore television makeup, and appeared more forceful than his initial appearance. However, up to 20 million fewer viewers watched the three remaining debates than the first debate.
A majority of political observers at the time believed that Kennedy won the first debate, Nixon won the second and third debates, and that the fourth and final debate, which was seen as the strongest performance by both men, was a draw.
Following is a youtube video containing some excerpts from that debate: