The 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate was the first-ever televised debate in the U.S. The debate happened when television sets were just being introduced to homesteads in the U.S. The debate, being its first, came with mistakes due to the unpreparedness of either party (Druckman, 2003). The contents of this paper discuss how the issues discussed in the Kennedy-Nixon debate relate to those in the government today and how mass media serves to either promote or damage a candidate’s image.
Similarities and differences of the issues discussed to current issues in the government
The issues discussed in the Kennedy-Nixon debate are similar to the current issues in the U.S. government today in a number of ways. To begin with, foreign policy with Cuba was first signed by Mr. Kennedy. This is still an issue in the current government, with the government’s decision on maintaining the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Other issues include; dialogue and negotiations with North Korea, U.S., Iran’s nuclear deal, and neutrally deciding the altercation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Another issue handled by Mr. Kennedy was the increase in the provision of medical care for the elderly which then, the government was termed to be giving out ‘lip service’ (Cooper, 2018). Even today, the issue still affects our government. Most elderly people continue to raise their concerns about the insufficient involved in medical care.
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On the contrary, the issues discussed also differ from today’s arising political issues in a number of ways. During that time, the government experienced numerous challenges with poor power production which led to a slow rate of economic growth. This was a major concern as their major rival, Soviet Union, was producing twice as many engineers as the U.S. government. Today, the country experiences stable power production and the government has also invested heavily in higher education which critical for future development.
Media’s role to candidate’s image
Today, the media is widely used in politics as a campaigning tool. However, it could portray the candidate’s image either positively or negatively. To begin with, the candidates debating on television or radio can easily expose the rival’s weakness since they are free to say anything to increase their chances of winning. However, the media generally promote individual candidates who get the opportunity to show the country their plans if they are elected successfully.
Conclusion
In sum, the Kennedy-Nixon debate was the first-ever televised debate in the U.S. Due to its popularity, the debate had a great influence on the votes cast in that election. Notably, media also plays a big role in promoting and damaging candidates vying for different positions. Candidates can therefore use the media as a way of promoting their thoughts as they contend for the various politicians.
References
Cooper, I. (2018). TV Shapes Presidential Politics in the Kennedy-Nixon Debates: 4D An Augmented Reading Experience. Booklist , 115 (3), 64–66.
Druckman J. N. (2003). The Power of Television Images: The First Kennedy-Nixon Debate Revisited. The Journal of Politics , (2), 559. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2508.t01-1-00015
