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The 1960 election promised to be a close one. The Democrats had nominated John F. Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts who had unsuccessfully sought the nomination of his party four years earlier. The Republicans had nominated Richard Nixon, who had served under President Dwight Eisenhower the past eight years as the vice-president.
With the new medium of television taking hold, the candidates agreed to debate each other for the first time on national television. All previous debates had either not been televised at all or had only been available on radio. Nixon, who was an excellent debater, particularly looked forward to the challenge.
The debates were scheduled for late September 29, 1960, at the studios of WBBM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Chicago, Illinois. Both candidates arrived at the hall in time to prepare and adjust to the surroundings. Moderator Howard K. Smith went over the ground rules for the debate. Smith would ask questions, and each candidate would have sufficient time to provide their answers.
Even before the cameras rolled, the physical appearance of each candidate was something noteworthy. As the debate would be televised in black and white TV, Kennedy had selected a dark navy blue suit. Nixon had selected a conservative grey one. Kennedy's camp had been successful in preparing their man for the cameras. He allowed staffers to put a slight application of makeup on his face. The makeup job enhanced his already tan appearance and gave him a relaxed, at-ease look. The debate would be his first campaign work after a short vacation.
Nixon, on the other hand, had not applied any makeup for the debate. He had also just been released from the hospital, where he had nursed a leg injury. The hot television lights accentuated his heavy beard, despite the fact that he had closely shaved prior to appearing at the television studio.
Finally, air time had arrived. The candidates appeared at their respective podiums, and the questions began. Nixon, as expected, emphasized his experience as vice-president and his extensive knowledge of foreign policy. Kennedy focused on his experience in Congress and made it clear that he could handle the office as well as, or better than, Nixon.
The debate pundits offered their opinions at the debate's conclusion. Many radio listeners felt that Nixon had prevailed due to his sharp, punctual speech and encyclopedic knowledge of issues. The television observers, however, had a view of the candidates. They focused not so much on what was said, but on the candidates' appearances. Kennedy appeared smooth, relaxed, and in command of the issues. When he answered, he focused his eyes on the camera, thus appearing as though he was speaking directly to the viewers at home. He did not appear to be sweating, and his dark suit contrasted nicely with the greyish backround.
Nixon's television appearance was less than flattering. His grey suit blended into the backround. Not having worn any makeup, he appeared to perspire heavily on camera, giving the impression that he was being pressed hard on issues which were easy for him to handle. He favored his injured knee and often focused on Kennedy when answering questions. Many TV viewers felt Kennedy was a runaway winner.
There would be more television debates that fall, but none as significant as the first one.
The November election was extremely close, and it was not until the morning following election day that Kennedy knew that he had prevailed. Nixon would go on to lose the race for governor of California two years later before staging one of the greatest political comebacks of recent times.
Now, candidates are carefully prepared, both on the issues and with their appearances for debates. Few events can lay claim to the fact that they forever changed the modern political landscape, but this was one of them.
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