POL 344, CRITICAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, FALL 2011

1960: KENNEDY BEATS NIXON; WHY?

Questions for Donaldson, chapters 7-end

Wednesday, November 2

1. (Aaron) In the first part of the campaign, what did Kennedy succeed at and what did Nixon fail at?  Explain through party relations, campaign contributors, and the candidates' overall campaign organization and issues targeted.

2. (Mario) We see that presidential candidates work hard to garner endorsements from politicians in good standing. Would you say that it is a characteristic of the "modern campaign" that it's more important to focus on surrounding yourself with people that will make you successful (Kennedy) or to create your own image (Nixon)?

3. (Brian) Nixon's use, or lack thereof, the media did not garner him the election. Nixon believed he could "go over the top of the media heads" to get his message to the people, even though towards the end of the campaign he started to change this view. The election was close, but could any candidate in today’s society have half a chance at any political election without the use and support of the media? Or are political elections today a fully run MEDIA election?

4. (Maryam) How do you feel about LBJ’s decision to risk the safety of his wife and his own safety in favor of outing The Right’s extremist tactics? Would you be willing to take such a risk for the future of your own political career?

5. (Jacob) In the election of 1992 the idea of "It's the economy stupid" was a major part of Clinton's campaign. The election of 1960 also followed a recession. How important is the role of the economy in presidential elections? Is it the most important factor as is often claimed?

6. (Nick) The 1960 election is known for (and even picked as one of our elections by Chris) the prominence of religion in the election. It was also an exceptionally close election: could Nixon have done anything with the issue of religion to have flipped the election?

7. (Jake) Could Nixon's campaign be summed up as a series of miscalculations and misfortunes? Obviously, several of Nixon's misfortunes were self-inflicted, some out of his control, but did these issues culminate in the televised debate, and truly cost Nixon the election, as the book argues in Chapter 8?

8. (Aaron) Did Nixon not wearing any make-up during the first debate lead to his electoral downfall?  Explain the finer points of the first debate including what the candidates did well and what they did not do well.

9. (Kyle) What does the total absence of presidential debates from '64 until '76 tell us about the candidates? Given the important boost debating gave Kennedy in '60 did subsequent candidates shy from debates as a result of fears of looking like Nixon?

10. (Josh) Besides the debates, what other instances were there of the Kennedy campaign outclassing the Nixon campaign in terms of public image? How effective were they?

11. (Alyssa) The author believes that "almost certainly, the election would have gone a different way had there not been the debates..." (p. 125) Do you believe Nixon would have won the election had he not debated Kennedy? What other strategies could Kennedy have used to win the presidency?