The substance that each candidate talked about in the debate was backed by the platforms they developed. Kennedy did not just come up with his defense of a $1.25 wage on the spot, nor did he decide during the debate that he backed medical care for the aged (what became Medicare). (1) Likewise, Nixon did not just decide to oppose a federal subsidy of teachers’ salaries during the debate, it was part of his broader platform. (2)
Kennedy's Platform
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The organization of Kennedy’s platform was arguably its most defining feature. Gary Donaldson describes that prior to Kennedy, presidential campaigns were typically: “small and run by the candidate supported by a few advisors and fund-raisers.” (3) Kennedy’s campaign transformed these norms by incorporating a “brain trust of advisors” and a “cluster of pollsters” into his campaign. (4) The Kennedy platform was thorough and organized across dozens of categories including national defense, arms control, world trade, immigration, and economic growth. (5)
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Nixon's Platform
Nixon’s platform development conformed much more to the traditional norms of campaigning, and prominently relied on Nixon’s “micromanagement.” (6) Because he was the sitting vice president, Nixon was forced to defend Eisenhower policies, and developed a status quo platform that was not as forward thinking compared to that of Kennedy’s party. (7) Donaldson points out that “as much as Nixon wanted to close the book on the past and embrace the future, he found himself playing defense, defending the policies of the Eisenhower administration against the intangibles of what the future might hold.” (8) Although Eisenhower policy in this sense may have been restricting, Nixon’s sense of independence enabled him to incorporate what Theodore White identified as “flexibility” into his campaigning. (9) Donaldson describes Nixon’s sense of flexibility as being based on the belief “that there would be times to hit certain states and certain issues, and it would only become apparent at that moment.” (10) In fact, Nixon’s experience having served as vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1960 stood out as being far more appealing to voters, in comparison to Kennedy’s first senatorial term between 1953 and 1960, who’s relative inexperience turned out to be one of the most challenging aspects of his campaign. (11)
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Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States
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The Night before the debate
The Kennedy lore talks about the hours and hours of prep, including younger brother Ted Kennedy making index cards with statistics on them, Bobby Kennedy as campaign manager orchestrating the sessions, and Ted Sorensen (policy) and Lou Harris (pollster) peppering him with questions. (12) A description of the afternoon before the debate describes Kennedy “waking him from his afternoon nap in a hotel room awash in index cards.” (13)
The night before the debate, Nixon was alone, and did not prep extensively for the debate. In fact he arrived at the debate directly from campaigning at the Carpenter’s Union. (14) Fresh off the campaign trail, Nixon was well, if not better, informed on the policy positions of the debate, but it was Kennedy’s understanding as to how important the debates were to his success that made him stand out to voters as being the better articulator of his ideas.
The night before the debate, Nixon was alone, and did not prep extensively for the debate. In fact he arrived at the debate directly from campaigning at the Carpenter’s Union. (14) Fresh off the campaign trail, Nixon was well, if not better, informed on the policy positions of the debate, but it was Kennedy’s understanding as to how important the debates were to his success that made him stand out to voters as being the better articulator of his ideas.
Footnotes:
(1) John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, "The First Kennedy-Nixon Presidential Debate," speech presented at WBBM-TV, CBS affiliate, Chicago, IL, September 26, 1960, The Commission on Presidential Debates, https://www.debates.org/voter-education/debate-transcripts/september-26-1960-debate-transcript/. [EBSCOhost eBook CC Collection]
(2) Kennedy and Nixon, "The First," speech, The Commission on Presidential Debates.
(3) Gary A. Donaldson, The First Modern Campaign : Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960 (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007), 94, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=613576&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
(4) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 94.
(5) Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, eds., "1960 Democratic Party Platform," The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1960-democratic-party-platform.
(6) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 95.
(7) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 95.
(8) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 95.
(9) Theodore H. White, The Making of the President, 1960 (Atheneum Publishers, 1961), 266-264, https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781125620250/page/266/mode/2up?q=%22flexibility%22, excerpted in Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 96.
(10) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 96.
(11) Hoff, Joan. "Nixon, Richard Milhous (09 January 1913–22 April 1994), thirty-seventh president of the United States." American National Biography. 1 Feb. 2000; Parmet, Herbert S. "Kennedy, John Fitzgerald (29 May 1917–22 November 1963), thirty-fifth president of the United States." American National Biography. 1 Feb. 2000.
(12) Tom Oliphant, Ted Sorensen, and William Wilson, "50th Anniversary: Kennedy/Nixon Debates," interview by Tom Putnam, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, last modified 2010, https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/forums/past-forums/transcripts/50th-anniversary-kennedynixon-debates.
(13) Oliphant, Sorensen, and Wilson, "50th Anniversary," interview, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
(14) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 114.
(1) John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, "The First Kennedy-Nixon Presidential Debate," speech presented at WBBM-TV, CBS affiliate, Chicago, IL, September 26, 1960, The Commission on Presidential Debates, https://www.debates.org/voter-education/debate-transcripts/september-26-1960-debate-transcript/. [EBSCOhost eBook CC Collection]
(2) Kennedy and Nixon, "The First," speech, The Commission on Presidential Debates.
(3) Gary A. Donaldson, The First Modern Campaign : Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960 (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007), 94, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=613576&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
(4) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 94.
(5) Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, eds., "1960 Democratic Party Platform," The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1960-democratic-party-platform.
(6) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 95.
(7) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 95.
(8) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 95.
(9) Theodore H. White, The Making of the President, 1960 (Atheneum Publishers, 1961), 266-264, https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781125620250/page/266/mode/2up?q=%22flexibility%22, excerpted in Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 96.
(10) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 96.
(11) Hoff, Joan. "Nixon, Richard Milhous (09 January 1913–22 April 1994), thirty-seventh president of the United States." American National Biography. 1 Feb. 2000; Parmet, Herbert S. "Kennedy, John Fitzgerald (29 May 1917–22 November 1963), thirty-fifth president of the United States." American National Biography. 1 Feb. 2000.
(12) Tom Oliphant, Ted Sorensen, and William Wilson, "50th Anniversary: Kennedy/Nixon Debates," interview by Tom Putnam, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, last modified 2010, https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/forums/past-forums/transcripts/50th-anniversary-kennedynixon-debates.
(13) Oliphant, Sorensen, and Wilson, "50th Anniversary," interview, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
(14) Gary A. Donaldson, The First, 114.