1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: a show that talies the winds and losses of everyday history. 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode, we're talking about 5 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: the day when American presidential candidates first invaded the small screen, 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: giving voters a whole new reason to dislike politics. The 7 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: day was September nineteen sixty. Richard Nixon and John F. 8 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: Kennedy squared off in the first televised presidential debate in 9 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: American history. It was held in a Chicago studio and 10 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: broadcast live on CBS to roughly seventy million viewers across 11 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: the country. That's two million more people than would actually 12 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: cast ballots that year. As the first of end of 13 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: its kind, the debate was heavily promoted and was aired 14 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: during prime time in place of a new episode of 15 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: The Andy Griffith Show. The evening's questions focused on domestic policy, 16 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: with each candidate offering their stance on issues such as labor, education, healthcare, 17 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: the economy, and the Cold War. The outcome of the 18 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: first debate and of the other three Kennedy Nixon debates 19 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: that followed it had a direct effect on the election 20 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: that November. Nixon had been the front runner prior to 21 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: the first debate, but after a poor showing on live TV, 22 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: he lost his lead to Kennedy, who then went on 23 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: to win the election. That was the first evidence of 24 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: the powerful role television could play in the democratic process, 25 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: and the realization forever changed the way presidential campaigns were run. 26 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: That may sound like hyperbole, but the reality is that 27 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: prior to nineteen sixty most voters never had a chance 28 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: to see how candidates looked, be saved, and spoke in person. 29 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: There had been live debates between candidates, and some candidates 30 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: had appeared individually on television, but for the most part, 31 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: the main component of a successful presidential campaign was still 32 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: to hit the trail and stump for votes at pre 33 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 1: arranged events and strategically chosen towns. That traditional approach helped 34 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: local voters to get a better read on a candidate 35 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: and to learn more about their opinions, but the majority 36 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: of Americans didn't live at whistle stops along a campaign trail. 37 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: The advent of TV gave those voters a chance to 38 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: see presidential hopefuls right there in their living rooms and 39 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: better Still, the intimate nature of televised debates often revealed 40 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: sides of the candidates that you wouldn't typically see at 41 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: a crowded public appearance. The presidential candidates who ushered in 42 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: this change were well suited to the task, with each 43 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: embodying a different approach to political campaigning. Representing the new 44 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: school was John F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts 45 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: whose good looks and optimistic views made him an ideal 46 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: guinea pig for the first televised debate, And representing the 47 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: old guard was Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon, the then 48 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: current vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although he was 49 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: only four years older than JFK. Nixon stern demeanor had 50 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: earned him a reputation as a bit of a ker mudgeon. 51 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: If the question was which candidate would you most want 52 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: to get a beer with, the answer was not Richard Nixon. However, 53 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: the presidential race wasn't a popularity contest, at least not yet, 54 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: and Nixon was actually the favorite to win. He was 55 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: more of a known quantity than Kennedy, having served as 56 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: Eisenhower's VP for a full two terms. Ahead of the debate, 57 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: Nixon led Kennedy by six percentage points in national polls. 58 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: He seemed like a shoe in, and at the time 59 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: it was hard to imagine how something like a TV 60 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: debate could possibly changed that. You can see that over 61 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: confidence in the way Nixon prepared for the debate, or 62 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: rather in how he didn't prepare. Both candidates were invited 63 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: to a preproduction meeting where they could tour the studio 64 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,239 Speaker 1: and ask questions ahead of the historic telecast, but only 65 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: Kennedy took CBS up on that offer. Nixon opted instead 66 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: to carry on with campaigning right up until the day 67 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: of the debate. His decision was at least partly due 68 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: to an injury he sustained late that summer. He had 69 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: hurt his knee at a campaign stop in Greensboro, North Carolina, 70 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: and the bruise eventually got infected. Nixon wound up spending 71 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: several weeks in a hospital, where he lost twenty pounds 72 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: and fell way behind on his campaigning. After that setback, 73 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: Nixon tried to make up for lost time by adding 74 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: more stops to his schedule and taking as few breaks 75 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,039 Speaker 1: as possible. He held to that demanding regiment even after 76 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: contracting the flu at an appearance in St. Loui, US. Meanwhile, 77 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: Kennedy flew to Chicago a few days early to meet 78 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: with Don Hewitt, the producer and director of the debate telecast. 79 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: They went over the ground rules of the event and 80 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: discussed practical matters like where the candidates would stand and 81 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: where they should look when speaking. Once all his questions 82 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: were answered, Kennedy checked into a nearby hotel and spent 83 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: the weekend preparing with his aids. On the evening of 84 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: September twenty six, Nixon and Kennedy arrived at the studio 85 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: in downtown Chicago and began prepping for the first televised 86 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: debate between two major party presidential candidates. True to form, 87 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: Nixon got off to a bad start by banging his 88 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: injured knee as he stepped out of the car. He 89 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,359 Speaker 1: was also still running a low fever from his recent 90 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: bout with the flu, and was exhausted from another grueling 91 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: afternoon of campaigning. However, even though he was clearly in 92 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 1: dire straits, Nixon held his own in the debate, at 93 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: least when it came to outlining and defending his poly seas. 94 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: It probably helped that both candidates put forward strikingly similar objectives, 95 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: including the need to strengthen national security to combat the 96 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: threat of communism. Nixon held himself together so well that 97 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: most radio listeners either thought he had won the debate, 98 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: or at least that it was too close to call. 99 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: But that wasn't the case for those who had watched 100 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: the debate on television. They declared Kennedy the winner by 101 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: a pretty wide margin. That difference of opinion can be 102 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: largely accounted for by the candidates on air presence. Kennedy 103 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: had done his homework and new to look directly into 104 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: the camera as he answered the panelist's questions, as if 105 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: he were speaking straight to the viewers at home. In contrast, 106 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: Nixon looked to the side to address the journalists who 107 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: were asking the questions. That would have been the right 108 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: strategy in a traditional town hall debate, but on TV 109 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: it made Nixon come off as shifty and nervous, as 110 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: if he couldn't look the public in the eye. It 111 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: was a costly mistake for a politician who had already 112 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: earned the nickname tricky Dick. Still, it wasn't just Nixon's 113 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: body language that turned off potential voters. It was also 114 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: the fact that he looked terribly unwell. His light gray 115 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: suit blended in with the backdrop of the set, and 116 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: even worse, it also matched his own pale complexion. Kennedy, 117 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: on the other hand, looked tanned and well rested. In 118 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: close ups, he was clean shaven and almost glowing thanks 119 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: to a pre air touch up from the team he'd 120 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: brought along to do his makeup. Nixon didn't have a 121 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: personal stylist, but he had been offered the services of 122 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: the network senior makeup artist. The Vice President declined, though, 123 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: choosing instead to cover his fast growing beard stubble with 124 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: some cheap pancake makeup from a nearby drug store. It 125 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: was not a good decision, especially when Nixon began to 126 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: sweat under the hot studio lights, causing the powder to 127 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: drip right off his face. Reactions to the Vice presidents 128 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: on screen appearance were universally bad, with a common theme 129 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: being his close resemblance to a corpse. CBS president Frank 130 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 1: Stanton said Nixon quote looked like warmed over death, and 131 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: Chicago Mayor Richard Daily echoed the idea, reportedly exclaiming, quote, 132 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: my god, they've embombed him. Before he even died. Even 133 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 1: Nixon's mother was taken aback. In his memoir, he revealed 134 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: that she called him right after the debate to ask 135 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: if he was as sick as he looked. The first 136 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: debate was chalked up as a clear wind for Kennedy, 137 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: but to his credit, Nixon came across much better in 138 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: the following three debates. Unfortunately for him, none of those 139 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: events drew nearly as many viewers as the first one. 140 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: As a result, many Americans headed to the polls with 141 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: a rather shabby impression of Nixon in mind. When the 142 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: dust settled, Kennedy had won forty nine points seven percent 143 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: of the popular vote, just barely edging out the forty 144 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: nine point six percent won by Nixon. It was one 145 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: of the narrowest wins in US presidential history, and by 146 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: most reckonings, it was the televised debates that made it happen. 147 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: Poles showed that more than half of all voters had 148 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: been influenced by the debates at least to some degree, 149 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: while six percent reported that the debates were the deciding 150 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 1: factor for how they voted. Televised debates eventually became a 151 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: fixture of American politics, affecting the results of primary and 152 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: general elections alike. However, that role wasn't cemented by the 153 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: so called Great Debates of nineteen sixty. Lyndon B. Johnson 154 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: assumed the presidency after JFK's assassination, and when he ran 155 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: for re election in nineteen sixty four, he declined to 156 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: participate in any televised debates. Then, during Nixon's second run 157 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:58,440 Speaker 1: for the presidency in nineteen sixty eight, he straight up 158 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 1: refused to debate his opponent Hubert Humphrey. Apparently he had 159 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: learned his lesson from debating Kennedy and didn't think the 160 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 1: risk was worth it. Nixon continued that trend in nineteen 161 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: seventy two, when he turned down a debate with Democratic 162 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: opponent George McGovern. Finally, the debates returned for good in 163 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy six, when Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford revived the 164 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 1: format in his doomed campaign against Jimmy Carter. From there, 165 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: television quickly became the go to source for presidential politics, 166 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: a role that would later be solidified by the rise 167 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: of cable news networks. These days, televised presidential debates don't 168 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: move the needle as much as they used to. Voters 169 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: are more entrenched in their views than ever, and the 170 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 1: Internet has provided plenty of other ways to get to 171 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: know candidates. But don't worry politics fans. Even though the 172 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: medium may have changed, crafting the right public image and 173 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: leveraging media exposure is still the way to win elections. 174 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: Isn't that comforting? I'm gay, Bluesier and hopefully you now 175 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 176 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,439 Speaker 1: You can learn even more about history by following us 177 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i HC Show, 178 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free 179 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 1: to drop me a line at this Day at I 180 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing 181 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see you 182 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: back here again tomorrow for another day in History class.