The course of presidential election can change in a second onstage. Here are 10 moments that mattered.
Kennedy - Nixon (1960): The first debate
In the first nationally televised presidential debate, then-Senator John F. Kennedy proved the power of “optics” by edging then-Vice President Richard Nixon mostly on the basis of appearance.
Although both candidates performed well in the debate itself, Kennedy simply looked better - he wore makeup, which Nixon declined to do, and the senator’s dark blue suit looked much better on black-and-white TV than his opponent’s light grey one.
Having trailed slightly in the polls, Kennedy emerged with a lead. Nixon tried to correct his optics issues for subsequent debates, but the damage was done: Kennedy never surrendered the edge he had gained.
-
Ford - Carter (1976): No Soviet domination of Eastern Europe
In perhaps the most bizarre moment in presidential debate history, incumbent and front-runner Gerald Ford made a misstatement so big that it is thought to have cost him the election.
Responding to a question about the growing influence of communism in France and Italy, Ford insisted that “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be.”
When the confused moderator haltingly asked for clarification, Ford doubled down, saying that Warsaw Pact nations like Poland and Romania were “autonomous” and free from Soviet influence.
-
Reagan - Carter (1980): There you go again
In the 1980 election, there was only one debate, and Ronald Reagan’s ease in front of the camera shone through.
In this clip, President Jimmy Carter calls Governor Reagan an opponent of Medicare, but Reagan confidently laughs off the attack, chiding, “There you go again” before jumping into his rebuttal.
With one phrase, the challenger had won the debate. The line effectively mocked the President and blunted his accusation at the same time.
-
Reagan v Mondale (1984): youth and inexperience
Just as he had done against Carter in 1980, Reagan showed his ease in front of an audience and disarming sense of humor in his debate with 1984 opponent Walter Mondale
At 73, Reagan was already the oldest president in history, and some had expressed doubts about his fitness to lead the country in a time of crisis. Asked about the issue, Reagan said he had no doubts about his own fitness, and further promised not to use the “youth and inexperience” of his opponent against him.
Even Mondale, then a spry 56, had to laugh. He later said he knew “that was the end of my campaign.”
-
Bentsen v Quayle (1988): you’re no Jack Kennedy
In his vice-presidential debate with Senate colleague Lloyd Bentsen, Dan Quayle, then just 41, equated his experience in government to that of the late John F Kennedy.
Bentsen, a long-serving Democrat, was clearly offended. He quickly responded: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
The Texan senator’s coolness and mature poise left Quayle looking miffed - and outmatched. In the end, though, Bentsen’s great line had no effect on Bush/Quayle’s lead in the polls.
-
Dukakis v Bush (1988): death penalty
The real failure of Bentsen’s down-ticket debate heroics may have simply been that he was Michael Dukakis’ running mate.
In his second debate with George HW Bush, Dukakis was asked (as the opening question, brutally enough) whether he’d favour capital punishment if his wife were murdered. Dukakis barely paused before saying “No,” and launching into a canned statement regarding the ineffectiveness of the death penalty.
The manner of his answer, if not the substance, struck the wrong chord with voters, who were surprised at his emotionless response. Dukakis went on to a resounding defeat at the polls.
-
Clinton v Bush v Perot (1992): No experience
In 1992, Ross Perot, a tech industry billionaire, became the most successful non-major party presidential candidate in 80 years, campaigning mostly on a platform of deficit reduction. Although he led the polls in June, Perot had fallen to a distant third by October.
The first debate brought the upstart candidate back in a big way. Responding to his opponents’ jabs at his lack of experience, Perot shot back, “Well, they’ve got a point. I don’t have any experience at runnin’ up a $4 trillion debt.”
The quip played perfectly to Perot’s appeal as a Washington outsider, and he went on to win an impressive 19 per cent of the popular vote.
Clinton v Bush (1992): How has the national debt affected you personally?
During a town-hall style debate in 1992, President Bush and Governor Clinton were asked by an audience member how the recession had affected them personally.
Bush struggled to answer the question, at first speaking about his grandchildren and eventually saying that it wasn’t fair to assume that he didn’t understand the recession just because it hadn’t affected him directly.
Clinton pounced on the weak response, earnestly relating how his time as governor of a small state meant that “when people lose their jobs, there’s a good chance I’ll know ‘em by their names.” The contrast of Clinton’s empathetic tone with Bush’s defensive answer helped cement national dissatisfaction with the incumbent.
-
Bush v Gore (2000): the nod
Unlike most of our debate moments, this one’s not a quote, per se, but rarely has body language encapsulated an entire campaign so well.
In a town-hall style debate during the 2000 election, Al Gore completed a statement by asking his opponent, George W Bush, whether he supported a specific bill. As Bush, standing, began to respond, Gore got up and began to walk toward him, stopping a foot or two away. Gore stared at him, but Bush calmly turned and acknowledged his opponent with a confident nod before continuing his remarks.
The moment exemplified both candidates’ facility with public speaking: Bush was easygoing and folksy (often, later, to a fault), while Gore was uncomfortable, sometimes visibly so, under such a bright spotlight.
-
Biden v Palin (2008): Can I call you Joe?
Even more than Bentsen vs Quayle, Biden vs Palin in 2008 was a contrast between experience and novelty. Biden was a six-term Senator and former presidential candidate himself, while Palin had been governor of Alaska for less than two years.
As the two strode out on stage and shook hands, a microphone picked up their conversation. The young Alaskan Governor, meeting Biden for the first time, asked, “Hey, can I call you Joe?” Naturally, the ever-affable Biden responded that she could.
It was neither a gaffe nor a zinger, but a genuine moment of personal chemistry that stuck with audiences longer than any of the policy questions either candidate answered.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
