U.S. presidential election debates

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Categories: Politics of the United States | U.S. presidential elections

Image:Kennedy-Nixon debate.jpg
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debate in 1960

Every presidential election in the United States, the two main candidates (almost always the candidates of the two main parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party) engage in a debate. The issues discussed in the debate are often the most hot-button issues of the time, and some have said that elections can be won or lost based on these debates.

Presidential debates are held late in the election cycle, after the political parties have nominated their candidates. The candidates meet in a large hall, often at a university, before an audience of citizens. The formats of the debates have varied, with questions sometimes posed from one or more journalist moderators and in other cases members of the audience. Between 1988 and 2000, the formats have been governed in detail by secret MOUs between the two major candidates; an MOU for 2004 was also negotiated, but unlike the earlier agreements it was jointly released by the two candidates.

Debates are broadcast live on television and radio. The first debate for the 1960 election drew over 66 million viewers out of a population of 179 million, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts in U.S. television history. The 1980 debates drew 80 million viewers out of a 226 million. By 2000, about 46 million viewers out of a population of 280 million watched the first debate, with ten million fewer watching the subsequent debates that year. In 2004, 62.5 million people watched the first debate, while 43.6 million watched the vice-presidential debate. [1]

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History

In the race for the American presidency, a series of debates between the two main candidates is held frequently. One of the first televised debates to be held was on September 26, 1960, in a debate between candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Nixon was generally considered to be the “loser” of the debates, mainly because he did not prepare for the possibilities and peculiarities of the medium of television. Some say his poor makeup and haggard appearance contributed to his loss of the debates.[2] As the candidates in the following elections of 1964, 1968 and 1972 feared to make the same mistakes and maybe lose an election because of such a debate, it took until 1976 for the second series of televised presidential debates after 1960 to be held. On September 23, 1976 it was the Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter and President Gerald R. Ford to debate publicly on television. Since then, televised debates have become a regular part of presidential campaigns in every election.

Two polls examining the 1976 debate between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter were taken. One of the polls had been taken 12 hours or less after the debate, the other one 12 to 48 hours after it.[3] The shifts in the public’s opinion were dramatic.

Starting in 1984, the inclusion of a single Vice Presidential debate has been included as part of the presidential debate cycle.

Shortly after the debate more than half of the interviewed felt that Ford had won, whereas later the majority felt Carter had won. The reason often purported to be why this dramatic change in public opinion happened is that, in this debate, Ford made what is considered to be one of the most serious mistakes ever made in a presidential debate. He stated that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe" and for several days did not want to acknowledge that he might have said something wrong.

During September and October 2004 George W. Bush and his Democratic challenger John Kerry met in a series of three televised debates face-to-face. John Kerry in his time at Yale University, had earned a lot of respect for his impressive skills in debating. The debate was hosted by Jim Lehrer, a PBS news anchorman. Kerry kept a calm, clear and convincing tone, which made him look serious and convincing. Bush appeared nervous, reactive, and repetitive in his responses. Kerry is widely considered by many to have won the debate.

Moderators of nationally televised presidential debates have included Bernard Shaw, Jim Lehrer and Dan Rather.

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Debate sponsorship

Control of the presidential debates has been a ground of struggle for more than two decades. The role was filled by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters (LWV) civic organization in 1976, 1980 and 1984. In 1987, the LWV withdrew from debate sponsorship, in protest of the major party candidates attempting to dictate nearly every aspect of how the debates were conducted. On October 2, 1988, the LWV's 14 trustees voted unanimously to pull out of the debates, and on October 3 they issued a dramatic press release:

The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates ... because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public.

The two major political parties had their own loyalists ready to take over the debates and did so in 1988 under the name of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The two parties presented the 1988 debates and have done so every election cycle since. The commission has been headed since its inception by former chairs of the Republican and Democratic parties.

In 2004, the Citizens' Debate Commission (CDC) was formed to challenge control by the Democratic and Republican parties and attempt to return the debates to control by an independent, nonpartisan, rather than bipartisan, body. Chief concerns include the CPD's exclusion of third party and independent candidates. This effort was unsuccessful in its first attempt, as the CPD again controlled the 2004 debates.

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Timeline

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References

  1. Moore, John L.: “Elections A to Z”, Second Edition; CQ Press, Washington 2003
  2. Patterson, Thomas E.: “Views of Winners & Losers” in GRABER, DORIS A.: “Media Power in Politics”; Congressional Quarterly Inc., Washington 1990, p.178
  3. RUTENBERG, JIM: “The Post-Debate Contest: Swaying Perceptions”; New York Times, 4 October 2004, p.1
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See also



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External links

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