The fact that television at that time could bring powerful images of what was happening in the world and could make the incident seem like a local event that was happening in their own home town, was a new concept.
It was also television that brought to the public the first live presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. Approximately 60% of the households viewed the three debates -- around 60 million people out of a total population of 179 million at that time. Kennedy was the first President that most people felt they had a personal connection with, all because of live TV.
So after the assassination the public couldn't get enough information fast enough. Americans glued themselves to the television and other available media to hear, see, feel, and experience the event because of the interest they had in Kennedy and because of the coverage that was available.
Another reason it was such a large media event was that most Americans weren't even alive the last time a president was assassinated. It had been 62 years since President William McKinley was shot in office. Americans were in shock and disbelief that this could happen in the current times, with all of the precautions of secret service.
Going to the issue of the presidential debate itself, the ABC News report quotes representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties, where the latter calls Bush "...' great debater'... But wins match-ups on 'style not substance'..." The Republicans, on the other hand, considers Kerry a "seasoned debater" but tends to 'take' "more than one position on foreign policy issues." Drawing from these observations from the ABC News report, both news
I find it interesting that human beings react so strongly to a person's physical appearance and wonder how many other important decisions are based on looks. Even if Nixon did eventually get elected to the office of the presidency, this debate made him lose the 1960 election. The Kennedy-Nixon debates were only the first of many that would be televised. Using television as a way to gain votes has been
Debating NASA's Budget and Importance As the increasingly impotent federal government lurches towards the edge of a self-imposed fiscal cliff, the public and politicians alike have largely accepted the inevitability of deep cuts to the nation's massively inflated budget. While there is still rancorous debate over exactly how the proverbial belt should be tightened, with conservatives demanding reductions in so-called entitlement programs and liberals countering with decreased military spending, a consensus
Presidential Campaign The current political campaign has been met with great controversy and division amongst the American People. On the one hand, we have an incumbent president that has led the country through the most tragic time in our history. On the other hand, we have his opponent that believes that more can be done to secure the country against terrorism and the war in Iraq. In addition, we will explore
Also, viewers may perceive the negative advertising as an infringement upon their right to decide for themselves. Such a perception may result in reactance, a boomerang effect in which the individual reacts in a manner opposite to the persuader's intention. What these studies show, then, is that a candidate is never going to know how for sure how a negative ad may impact the voters. In the long run,
Another Wall Street Journal article (April 2, 2007) explains that Senator Hillary Clinton is the current top fundraiser among Democratic candidates for president. In the Washington Post (March 29, 2007), former presidential candidate Steve Forbes has decided not to run again, but he threw his endorsement over to Republican Rudy Giuliani. Senator Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, picked up the endorsement of Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, according to the New York Times
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