The Kalb Report kicked off its eighth season Tuesday night, focusing on the history of presidential debates and the role they play in electing the nation’s executive.
Discussing the epoch in U.S. presidential elections following the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate, host Marvin Kalb was joined by CBS News’ Bob Schieffer, 1960 debate questioner Sander Vanocur, and Janet Brown and Mike McCurry from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
“I honestly don’t think we knew what we were getting involved in,” Mr. Vanocur explained when examining his role in the first televised debate in U.S. history.
At the time, “no one understood the power of television,” Mr. Schieffer responded, but, ultimately, “Kennedy mastered television like Roosevelt mastered radio.“
Presidential debates eventually became institutionalized, the panel concluded, culminating in the creation of a formal, nonpartisan commission in 1987.
When the discussion shifted to media in an era where the Internet plays a key role in public life, Mr. Schieffer stated that he believes “journalists still perform a noble function,” and need to continue their role as gatekeepers.
“You can’t have a football game without a referee,” the longtime CBS correspondent explained. “You can’t have a baseball game without an umpire.”
In reference to television and political campaigns as a whole, Mr. Schieffer opined that “people vote for the man for the office of the presidency that they would feel most comfortable with in a time of crisis.”
The panelists concluded the dialogue with their favorite experience from presidential debates.
Mr. Vanocur, the 1960 debate questioner, explained that Ronald Reagan’s performance in the 1984 debate stood out in his mind.
Janet Brown, from the Commission on Presidential Debates, stated that President Ford’s poor performance during his second presidential debate against Jimmy Carter in 1976 was key to her; it prompted her to update her résumé.
Ms. Brown’s counterpart, Mike McCurry, stated that he will never forget when, in 1988, Lloyd Bentsen said to Dan Quayle “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Mr. Schieffer stated that, for him, his favorite experience occurred in 1984, when Janet Brown requested that he moderate one of the presidential debates.
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