INDEPTH: US ELECTION 2004
Memorable moments in presidential debates
CBC News Online | Sept. 29, 2004
Five o'clock shadow. A glance at a watch. The pithy crack: "Senator, you are no John Kennedy."
CBC MEDIA:
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 CBC-TV's Joe Schlesinger with a primer on presidential debates. (Aired Sept. 29, 2004 - Runs 11:16)
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U.S. presidential debates may not make or break a campaign, but they've certainly swayed voters. After the microphones click off and specific policies are forgotten, what often lingers are the small gestures and well-timed one-liners.
The "Great Debates" are relatively new in the United States. The earliest presidential face-off, a Republican primary debate between Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen, was broadcast on the radio in 1948.
But television revolutionized the forum and made it a central part of election campaigns. A look at some memorable moments:
1960: Kennedy vs. Nixon
Jack Kennedy and Richard Nixon in November 1960. When the two debated that year, Nixon refused makeup and looked ill. (AP Photo)
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Richard Nixon hoped to portray John Kennedy as too young and callow for office in the first televised debate in 1960. But the Democratic senator knew how to harness the new medium.
Kennedy stood out in a navy blue suit and used makeup to enhance a holiday tan. The vice-president, who had just spent two weeks in the hospital, waved away cosmetics and showed up in a grey suit that disappeared against the backdrop.
The result? Kennedy looked the picture of good health, while the bright lights emphasized Nixon's five o'clock shadow and made him look so pale and pasty that his mother called afterward to ask if he was ill.
Studies later suggested that people who listened to the radio thought Nixon triumphed, while those who watched the broadcast picked Kennedy as victor.
Many experts believe the debates gave Kennedy a crucial edge to win one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history.
Jimmy Carter, left, faced off with then president Gerald Ford in 1976.
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1976: Carter vs. Ford
The next presidential debates didn't take place until 16 years later, resurrected by Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Ford, then president, later made one of the biggest blunders in the history of presidential debates.
When asked about foreign policy and the Soviet Union, Ford replied: "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration."
He tried to recover by saying he meant that Washington did not recognize Soviet claims on the region – despite decades of control there – but the remark haunted him.
1980: Carter vs. Reagan
Ronald Reagan's "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" caught the ear of voters in the 1980 debate.
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Four years later, the tables turned on Carter when he squared off against Ronald Reagan.
Carter, then president, hoped to paint the former California governor and film star as a dangerous conservative.
But his detailed attacks kept being cut off by well-timed one-liners. "There you go again," Reagan chastised in a friendly, casual tone that made Carter seem like a tedious policy wonk.
Later, Reagan caught the ear of voters when he boiled the campaign down to a single question: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"
1984: Reagan vs. Mondale
Reagan's mastery of the confident retort saved the day again when his own presidency faced a challenge in 1984.
In the first debate against former vice-president Walter Mondale, Reagan – then 73 – stumbled over statistics and seemed befuddled, confessing at one moment, "I'm all confused now."
But he bounced back in the next match, defusing the age issue with a clever quip: "I want you to know that I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."
1988: Bush vs. Dukakis
In 1988, Vice-President George Bush tried to dismiss Michael Dukakis as a cold technocrat. The Massachusetts governor seemed to prove Bush right during a debate, when asked whether he would favour the death penalty if his wife was raped and murdered. His dry response – "I don't see any evidence that it's a deterrent and I think there are better ways to deal with violent crime" – struck many voters as bloodless.
When President George Bush glanced at his watch during a 1992 debate, critics said he had lost touch with voters. (AP Photo)
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Bush's running mate, Dan Quayle, tried to play down his youth in the vice-presidential debate by pointing out that he had as much experience as Jack Kennedy when he ran for president in 1960.
His opponent, Lloyd Bentson, pounced. "I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
1992: Bush, Clinton and Perot
In other debates, images lingered instead of words – such as George Bush's two covert glances at his watch during a lengthy 1992 debate.
The gestures, made while pitting wits against Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, reinforced some voters' belief that the president had lost touch with common people.
2000: Bush vs. Gore
When George W. Bush took the stage against Vice-President Al Gore, many pundits doubted the Texas governor could prevail against his more experienced opponent.
Al Gore, left, struck some voters as arrogant when he debated George W. Bush in 2000. (AP Photo)
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Bush tripped over foreign policy, but Gore's attempts to highlight the blunders backfired. His rolled eyes and heavy sighs made him look arrogant and mean-spirited.
In one debate, candidates could move freely about the stage, and Gore tried to use his height to tower behind Bush. As he edged ever closer, Bush glanced over his shoulder, then did an exaggerated double-take that sent Gore slinking back to his stool.
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| DID YOU KNOW: |
There are four presidential debates in 2004. Presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry square off:
Sept. 30 on foreign policy, homeland security.
Oct. 8 on a wide range of topics. In town-hall forum with questions from audience.
Oct. 13 on domestic and economic policies.
Fourth debate on Oct. 5 pits vice-presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
Candidates can't talk directly to each other to ask questions or rebut points. Critics complain these aren't debates but staged, mutual press conferences.
More than 30 pages of rules, negotiated by Bush and Kerry teams, govern debates, including:
No leaving podium to roam stage.
No props.
No prepared notes.
No TV "reaction" shots of audience, family members or other candidate.
Candidate has two minutes to answer questions; opponent has 90 seconds to respond.
Audience for town-hall debate to be composed of equal numbers of Bush and Kerry supporters. May not gesture or speak.
League of Women Voters organized debates from 1976 to 1984 then bowed out. Protested that Democratic and Republican campaigners wanted scripted performances.
League's president complains: "We have no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public."
Commission on Presidential Debates – group started by leaders of Democratic and Republican parties – has since sponsored debates.
Candidates must have 15% support in national polls to participate, which critics say excludes third-party campaigners such as Ralph Nader in 2000.
Debates often compared to famous senatorial debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858, but:
They debated seven times, in front of thousands of people.
First candidate spoke for 1 hour; opponent then spoke for 1½ hours; first candidate had half-hour to rebut.
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| RELATED: |
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| QUICK FACTS: |
Voting age population (VAP) in 2000:
205,815,000
Eligible voters (VEP) in 2000:
193,199,543
Voter turnout (% of VEP) in 2000:
54.5%
Numbers of seats up for election (2004):
House: 435 (all of them)
Senate: 34 (of 100)
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