Debating in America

BY MICHAEL P. RICCARDS


True to their Anglo-Saxon political heritage, the Americans developed a respect for strongly- argued parliamentary debates. They brought those intense habits to their own colonial legislatures. But on the stump, they rarely had candidates standing side by side campaigning for office. The most famous of these debates of course happened by accident. In the 1858 Illinois Senate race, the perennial loser of the Whig Party, Abraham Lincoln running on the new Republican Party ticket challenged the powerful but highly controversial incumbent, Stephen Douglas. Douglas was clearly favored, and the Republican bosses had to convince a very reluctant Lincoln to accept a proposal for a series of debates across that state. Lincoln was an accomplished lawyer and a very good public speaker, but he was not a tough bare knuckled brawler like Douglas was. He also hated racist rhetoric, which Douglas specialized in.

We like to think that Lincoln won the debates; in fact he had a very difficult time especially in the southern part of the state. He probably won the popular vote, but he lost the election in the state legislature, which in those days chose the winner in US Senate contests. Still, the visibility Lincoln received propelled him to other speaking engagements, especially in the east at Cooper Union in New York City. He said later that that one speech made him president.

In 1960, the new world of American television led to the proposal for debates between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy. The studies conducted after the debates revealed that those who listened to them on the radio thought that Nixon, with his clear baritone voice, beat Kennedy substantially. But those who saw the debates on television, especially the first debate that set the tone, thought that Kennedy, who looked healthier and more handsome, clearly won. Kennedy also believed that the debates made him president, especially considering the closeness of the general election in 1960. So debates can have some effect, although Al Gore clearly bested George Bush on repeated occasions, and it did not make any difference. We have been so burdened by debates in both parties in this election cycle that it is hard to figure out who won, who lost, and how long the effects endured.

Two years ago, the Hall Institute of Public Policy in New Jersey’s founder, George E. Hall, announced the first virtual debate in the history of the state, and one of the very first in the nation, which appeared on the Institute’s website. In an off year election, the race for the US Senate for New Jersey pitted Robert Menendez and Robert Kean in an increasingly vitriolic race. As the summer progressed, the Institute passed questions on to the candidates (including third party candidates) and received informed responses to be added to the Institute’s website.

By the end of the summer the television and the ad campaigns were so ferocious and the personal attacks so distracting that political experts from newspapers and television could not get the candidates to focus on the national issues. The acerbic ads and debate, often more intense than informative, led some correspondents to the Institute’s website and to its virtual debate page in order to better see the views of both candidates and to use them for their own reporting.

Once again the Institute is focusing on the state’s current US Senate race, seeking to inform and enlighten, to further democracy. The Institute, having solicited the opinions of the presidential candidates on various issues, has produced something similar for the 2007 election. Our presidential election coverage can still be found on the website at http://hallnj.org/nj2008/. Also, our frequently updated senate virtual debate can be found at http://hallnj.org/virtualdebate/