It's been suggested that Americans are more influenced by the good-looks of our political candidates than their message or platform. Whether that's true or not, most historians agree that the Kennedy/Nixon debate, which took place 50 years ago today, September 26, 1960, was the first time we saw how television influenced our choices and how it changed politics forever.
Those who listened to the debate on the radio said that then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon easily won the debate, while those who watch the first televised presidential debate felt that it was John F. Kennedy, who took the prize.
Fortified with a Hawaiian tan (following a recent campaign swing through America's newest state) and a little pancake make-up, Kennedy look fresh, rested, and handsome. Nixon, on the other hand, did not wear any "TV make-up" and appeared nervous, was sweaty, and with his 5 o'clock shadow, looked very tired.
Kennedy won the election, though not by a landslide. He was assassinated in November of 1963.
Nixon returned to California, where he gave his famous "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around, anymore" speech after losing a bitter gubernatorial election to former San Francisco District Attorney Edmund "Pat" Brown. Nixon did return to politics and was elected President in 1968 (with a re-election in 1972). He resigned in disgrace following the Watergate scandal in 1974.
He also NEVER participated in a debate again.
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