Stateside Stories

Right now, the 2024 presidential debates are kicking off. Donald Trump and Joe Biden are facing off once again; their rematch only desired by 11% of Americans. Currently, things are not looking good for Biden. His rambling speeches have left both potential voters and members of the Democrat Party concerned for his health and his ability to run the country for another four years. Could these debates cost him the election? I will be looking at other presidential debates that may have helped to determine election outcomes and the messy 2020 election that led directly to where we are now. In the modern age, how a candidate comes across is as important as their policies. In these cases, style may have been as important as substance.

Kennedy Vs Nixon (1960)

We will start with the first ever televised presidential debates. The 1960 election should have been an easy victory for Richard Nixon. He had spent eight years serving as the Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower and had a lot of experience in terms for foreign policy; something which was essential during the Cold War. However, Nixon was also socially awkward and was not a confident public speaker. Televised debates proved to be a nightmare for him, especially as his opponent was the charismatic and self-assured John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy came across as youthful and confident; he could steer the United States in a new direction. Unbeknownst to voters, he was suffering from Addison’s Disease; which affects the adrenal glands and can be fatal. Kennedy was left in chronic pain from his illness; something which countered the strong persona he adopted in debates. He frequently mentioned the fact that he had served the country both in the military and as a senator. He painted himself as someone who was very patriotic and who wanted the best for America. He had plans for the US to build better relations with Eastern Europe and wanted more houses to be built in the US; acknowledging the rise of the suburbs and the desire to live away from the city.

Nixon was seen as awkward, old and out-of-touch with what the electorate wanted. He appeared to deny that the US had any problems, stating that they were the best at everything. He bitterly disagreed with Kennedy’s comments that the US was losing the Space Race against the Soviet Union; even though the Soviet Union had beat the US in every major mile stone by this point. They were the first to put a satellite into space, and the first to put a person into space. Nixon portrayed the US as a world leader in freedom; stating its citizens enjoyed freedoms that could not be enjoyed elsewhere. In reality, racial discrimination was still legal, many African Americans could not vote and women did not have equal access to employment as men. His comments presented him as ignorant to the issues that plagued American society in 1960.

The 1960 election was a very close race. A clear result could not be determined until the very last ballots were counted. Whilst Nixon’s experience and good track record as the Vice President may have helped him win voters, his poor performance in the presidential debates undoubtedly steered many away. Kennedy won the election with 303 electoral college votes, whilst Nixon trailed behind with 219 electoral college votes. This defeat was humiliating for Nixon; he felt that Kennedy had stolen the election from him. It was this defeat that led him to go to extreme lengths to win the 1968 and especially the 1972 election. He did not want to experience this type of defeat again.

Bush Senior vs Clinton (1992)

George Bush the First was another candidate who was hampered by a lack of social skills. Like Nixon, Bush had plenty of political experience. He was the Vice President under Ronald Reagan for eight years, and had served four years as president himself. Re-election seemed like an achievable goal; especially as his main opponent was a relatively unknown governor from Arkansas. However, a series of gaffes would make Bush seem weak and incompetent; contributing to his 1992 election defeat.

 Like John Kennedy, Bill Clinton was young and charismatic and spoke confidently to his audience. He frequently made them laugh and had a good sense of humour. He emphasised how the state of Arkansas has improved greatly under his leadership. He stated that it was first in terms of job growth, with increasing numbers of the population holding down steady jobs. This was miraculous given that it was traditionally one of the poorest states in America. He made a point of highlighting how the Regan and Bush administrations have ruined the economy. He famously stated that “people are working harder for less money than they were 10 years ago” and pointed out the failures of trickle-down economics. Wages had stagnated and the middle-class were paying more in tax, whilst taxes for the rich had decreased. Clinton frequently referenced Bush’s infamous statement “read my lips, no new taxes”, which he promised in 1988. This promise was soon broken as a new pay-roll tax was introduced. Clinton constantly mentions the state of the economy, emphasising how Bush has failed.

Bush did not fare as well in the debates. He tried to attack Clinton’s character, bringing up the fact that he avoided the Vietnam draft. Clinton spun this around, stating how he was morally opposed to the war, something which was felt by many Americans. Bush admitted that it was a bad decision to introduce a new tax, something which viewers took to be an admission of weakness. Bush did not come across well on television. He often looked bored or frustrated during debates. At one point, he was seen checking his watch; not seeming to pay any attention to what was happening around him. Bush sometimes had difficulties understanding the questions that he was asked, often needing clarification.

Clinton won the 1992 election with 370 electoral college votes compared with Bush’s 168. Given that Bush was running for re-election, this was a bitter defeat. Very few sitting presidents are not elected for a second term. The debates were not the sole reason for this defeat, although they undoubtedly contributed to it. Bush’s mismanagement of the economy and broken promise of “read my lips, no new taxes” set him on a path of self-destruction. It was his failure to justify these actions in the presidential debates that put the final nail in the coffin. It would be 28 years before another president failed to get re-elected, Donald Trump in 2020. Bush’s one term as President is largely remembered as a failure.

Trump vs Biden: Round One (2020)

Now, here is a series of debates where tradition (and any form of conduct) was thrown out of the window. Whilst these other debates have had their interesting moments, they were still civilised and informative. The 2020 debates were chaotic, conducted in an immature manner, and left potential voters feeling confused and alienated from the political system. Petty insults were thrown, and Biden struggled to get a word in edgeways as Trump constantly interrupted him. This led to Biden finally snapping and asking “will you shut up man?”.  Trump questioned Biden’s intelligence, and Biden referred to Trump as a “clown”. For American voters, seeing their two candidates bicker like a pair of schoolboys must have been disconcerting. After all, one of them would lead the country for four years. The COVID-19 pandemic was the big topic of debates. In 2020, many people across the world were in lockdown and a vaccine was yet to be administered. Many people wanted solutions. They did not get them from these debates. By late 2020, 200,000 Americans had died from the virus, a grim death toll that placed them as the worst affected country in the world. Trump’s response to the outbreak of the virus was inadequate. However, it was difficult for Biden to address this problem as Trump would frequently interrupt him, avoiding answering any questions in the process.

Another issue discussed in these debates was race relations. In early 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, who knelt on his neck for several minutes, suffocating him. This sparked protests across the country, the most prolific that the US has seen in decades. The issue of systematic white supremacy was the subject of these protests. People wanted institutionalised racism to be addressed. Biden made a massive slip-up whilst campaigning, stating that “poor kids are just as bright as white kids”. This led many potential Democrat voters to question Biden’s stance on racial equality; especially as he had supported racist bills in the past. However, it was Trump that caused the most alarm. He refused to denounce white supremacy, and told the Proud Boys (a white supremacist group) to “stand by”. Many members of this group would storm the Capitol in January 2021.

The 2020 election was very close to call, with many states re-counting their ballots. After several days of deliberations, it was concluded that Biden won 306 electoral college vote and Trump won 232. Despite attempts by Trump to contest the results and stop the counting of ballots, Biden’s victory stood. However, many Americans were not satisfied with either candidate and expressed despair over the chaotic nature of the presidential debates. Many people took to social media to share their thoughts of the debates, and there more arguing involved than discussion of actual policies. Memes were created and shared, emphasising the farcical nature of the debates and the absurdity of the political process. Trump and Biden are facing off again in the 2024 debates, and, sadly, a repeat of the 2020 debates seems to be taking place. The pair discussed their abilities at golf, and Biden struggled to get any points across. His frequent rambling led many to question his health and ability to run the country for another four years. The 2024 election is also predicted to be a close race. This time, it is Trump who could come out on top.