Debating the issues
Exactly 50 years ago today an event occurred that, for better or for worse, has transformed politics in a number of countries: on this day the first US presidential debate took place, in advance of the election in November 1960. The two candidates were John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. It is generally thought that Richard Nixon’s somewhat unsure performance, and in particular the fact that he was visibly sweating under the bright television lights, helped to decide the election and gave Kennedy the presidency.
In the years that followed, and increasingly in countries across the globe, the candidates’ televised debates have become a key event in every general election. Whether these debates serve to enlighten or to obscure, or whether they highlight policies or personalities, is sometimes arguable, but they are now something that is expected by voters. It is doubtful whether they will ever disappear from the political landscape.
Explore posts in the same categories: politicsTags: John F. Kennedy, presidential debates, Richard Nixon
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September 26, 2010 at 8:28 am
They will vanish when someone works out how to do in on the WWW via skype or some such. Then WE can kick comment at them and watch them scramble to get a grip on a bouncy one. Imagine that fun.
September 26, 2010 at 1:37 pm
An interesting corollary to that is the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 were 7 hours long! 3 hours each to speak, and then half an hour each for a rejoinder. No soundbites or snippets there. Imagine if we had the attention span to listen to Enda and Brian hack it out over 7 hours? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln–Douglas_debates_of_1858
September 26, 2010 at 8:20 pm
& without amplification either I think.