Tomorrow night, the US will have it's first Vice Presidential debate of this political season moderated by the first Asian-American woman moderator. After watching the first presidential debate last week (here) and the merciless parody done on Saturday Night Live this weekend (here), I thought it might be interesting to look back at the first televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. It was the first presidential debate I ever saw since it was on TV and it shaped the rest of my life. Kennedy was articulate and serious. Nixon was sweating (middle image above, wiping sweat off his upper lip) and shifty (last image on the right).
You can watch the entire Kennedy-Nixon Debate here, watch the highlights here, read commentary (here, here and many other places) or read the transcript (here), depending on how much patience you might have with history.
EXAM QUESTIONS
- Horse Race Who won the debate?
- Compare and Contrast On the basis of other Presidential debates you have seen, how would you compare this one?
- Impact Given what you now know of the political history of the US from 1960 to the present, how would you evaluate the effects of the debate?
- Lessons If you were advising a presidential candidate, what advice would you give them based on your review of the Kennedy-Nixon Debate?
EXTRA CREDIT
- Does it help to understand history?
- Do you think any of the current presidential (or vice presidential) candidates have learned anything from this debate?
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