This day in history, 1960: First Kennedy-Nixon debate. Turned out well for Dems, as I recall.

[Faygo Kid]

September 26, 1960
First Kennedy-Nixon debate

For the first time in U.S. history, a debate between major party presidential candidates is shown on television. The presidential hopefuls, John F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator of Massachusetts, and Richard M. Nixon, the vice president of the United States, met in a Chicago studio to discuss U.S. domestic matters.

Kennedy emerged the apparent winner from this first of four televised debates, partly owing to his greater ease before the camera than Nixon, who, unlike Kennedy, seemed nervous and declined to wear makeup. Nixon fared better in the second and third debates, and on October 21 the candidates met to discuss foreign affairs in their fourth and final debate. Less than three weeks later, on November 8, Kennedy won 49.7 percent of the popular vote in one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history, surpassing by a fraction the 49.6 percent received by his Republican opponent.

One year after leaving the vice presidency, Nixon returned to politics, winning the Republican nomination for governor of California. Although he lost the election, Nixon returned to the national stage in 1968 in a successful bid for the presidency. Like Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Nixon declined to debate his opponent in the 1968 presidential campaign. Televised presidential debates returned in 1976, and have been held in every presidential campaign since.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=VideoArticle&displayDate=05/23

I predict history repeats itself. Only this election won't be as close.

[truedelphi]

1. Big big difference. you had TWO intelligent men in the prime of their lives

Open and Willing to address their policies and concerns for the nation.

They actually were left unsupervised to answer questions posed to them.

The entire nation watched. The fact that color TV was a newly available technology became a bad reality for Nixon, as he look somewhat pallid and unhelathy next to the radiant Kennedy.

But only slightly so.

I had the chance to watch a re-broadcast of this debate maybe fifteen years ago, and I was embarrassed at how the 1960 debate was probably the last real debate with 2 articulate intelligent men, and moderaters who wern't complete jackasses.

[Faygo Kid]

2. Actually, color TV wasn't a factor. And Nixon was intelligent, but . . .

Very few had color sets in 1960. I have in fact never seen the debate in color; I don't think it was broadcast in color. Wasn't necessary. Nixon's pallor and sweat were obvious. The contrast was startling. One of my earliest political memories.

And despite his intelligence, he wasn't Dick Nixon for nothing.