The Nixon Debate: John F. Kennedy V. Nixon

John F Kennedy, 35th president of the United States Of America, in his inaugural speech, vocalizes his ideas for the country and its future through the use of many rhetorical devices such as diction, metaphors, ethos and rhetorical question to convince the people he is fit for the job of president. During the height of the cold war, John F. Kennedy was given the burden of solving the obstacle of the U.S.S.R. The gap between the presidential candidates was microscopic with John F Kennedy getting 49.72% of the votes and Nixon 49.55% of the votes. Most people believed that The now democratic president would get eaten alive in Russian negotiations and was unfit for the presidency. These factors made the speech that much more intense because he had to assure and calm the people who were in high doubt that JFK was the right person for the job. This is why he used these subtle but successful tactics to win the favor of the people and convince them to not only support him, but become active participants in their democracy.

Not to be confused with Nixon v. United States, U.S. v. Nixon was a crucial case of the

The September 27, 1960 New York Times reported about the first televised presidential debate. The vice President Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy face each other. About 70 million American viewers

Kennedy was in a black suit that perfectly contrasts the grey background thus making him stand out. Nixon on the other hand is in a light grey suit which does him a disservice since the background was grey as well. Kennedy had a better posture. Kennedy's posture exuded confidence as compared to Nixon whether seated or standing. As the debate begins, Kennedy is seated legs crossed, chin up with his arms comfortably resting on his lap. Nixon on the other hand seems unsettled, as if fidgeting. His hands are moving, his legs are not settled, as if he wants to get out of the room. Even while standing, he does not stand straight, one of his knees is bent.

Kennedy used a logical structure in his speech. He repeated what was important to the audience could easily find what was important in his speech. Moreover, Kennedy’s speech structure and fallacies were very successful. He did a great job of getting to his points and said what he wanted to say and yet, making the audience feel like they were an important part of his speech and that they could make a difference. Below is a mind map explaining and summarizing Kennedy’s

Kennedy’s speech carries with it a dauntless rhythm of persuasiveness, emboldening and inspiring his audience through emotional conviction and personal attribution. With parallelism and juxtaposition, John F. Kennedy was able to capture the minds and hearts of the American people. During the vast majority of the address, he uses inclusivity (us, we, our) with the audience to show his personal dedication to the public and mankind as a whole. Kennedy’s dedication to his people and god was enough to gain the support of the nation, from both political parties; he proclaims that it was “not the victory of a party, but a celebration of freedom…” Kennedy does this in an attempt to establish his credibility as a just and equal leader, who saw past the petty divisions of our bipartisan dichotomy. Aside from this instance, JFK states later that he is a “fellow citizen of the world…” to appeal to his international audience. As much as Kennedy addressed his fellow man, he also referenced God in many occasions throughout his speech. Considering that at the time of its delivery 84% of the

The 1960 Presidential Election was historic in its new approaches to media and television's ability to capture the future leader of America live for the first time. Previous presidents had been listened to via radio, and seen in retrospect in movie theaters, particularly during World War II, but 1960 was the first time the majority of Americans were able to watch their future President debate his opponent and feel the immediate reactions of the American people afterward. Most Americans received their news by newspaper and word of mouth, so to be able to see the presidential candidate debate live was a luxury of the modern age. It is said now that John F Kennedy potentially won the 1960 election because of his excellent debate performances and how he appeared on television. Richard Nixon, the Vice-President, looked awful as he had foregone make-up, and he was nervous in his responses. The feelings of the time are encapsulated in the newspapers of the time. Comparing and contrasting six different articles from two different points of view will show how newspapers at the time treated this very important election, and how they each react in the immediate aftermath of Kennedy's victory will show what the country was thinking as they voted on that November day.

Despite Nixon having to undergo knee surgery, he looked very sick since he didn’t get his makeup done. Kennedy, on the other hand, was experiencing back pain, but he looked very good and ready to talk about his ideas. Showing up looking your best is quite important because it shows that he greatly cares about the position he is going to take. He was very enthusiastic and professional when he was expressing his ideas, which could obviously make an idea seem much more convincing. Inasmuch as senator Kennedy went the extra mile to prepare for the presidential debates, therefore Kennedy should have your support. Another instance when you see Kennedy showing off a crucial presidential trait was also shown in Document D, during the debates when the moderator told Kennedy that Nixon called him naive, unqualified, and immature. Kennedy responded by saying, “The vice president and I came to Congress together 1946...experience in uh-government is comparable...which point of view and which party do we want to lead the United States?” (part 1) In the transcript, it shows that Kennedy is very diplomatic while stating why Nixon’s comments against him are incorrect. He also very eloquently described why he is equally as qualified as Nixon. Having a candidate who is able

The 1960 presidential campaign showed to be historic in the invention of television for advertisements, news interviews and policy debates, something that would occupy Kennedy's youthful hands. Four debates were created between Nixon and Kennedy, and Nixon had his tactics helping him from the beginning of it. During them, he was slowly getting better from the flu and looked exhausted, and then when he came to the TV studio, Nixon decided to not wear much TV makeup, scared that the press would accuse him of trying to copy Kennedy's fresh looks of his tan skin. Even though he shaved, Nixon's "five o'clock shadow" showed on the cameras, and his gray suit blended into the gray background which was a difference from Kennedy's well-fitted dark suit. Nixon was still trying to

On snowy, freezing cold January morning in 1961, five hundred thousand people lined Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The temperature was only twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit and eight inches of snow blanketed the ground in the American capitol that morning, causing even more traffic than usual, but that didn’t stop these hundreds of thousands of people from attending John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inauguration ceremony. Little did they know, they would be hearing one of the most famous and memorable speeches of all time. Out of all forty five presidents, the inaugural address that American citizens would remember more than all the rest was that of John F. Kennedy. But what made it so memorable? After all, each president has given at least one, sometimes even two or more, inaugural address. Kennedy’s speech was neither the most elaborate nor the longest; it had one thousand three hundred and sixty four words and took thirteen minutes and fifty five seconds to read and it used relatively simple language. The importance of the address laid not in the length or the intricacy, but in the theme and the rhetoric. With figurative language, themes of unity and freedom, and appeal to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, Kennedy’s address became not only one of the most memorable inaugural addresses, but one of the most memorable speeches of all time.

President Kennedy showed the American public that he was credible and trustworthy by using the appeal of ethos. He supported his ethos appeal with diction and tone to reinforce it. Since JFK was the President of the United States he was considered by the American people a trustworthy man. President Kennedy showed the American people his authority along with that the situation was very serious. In the speech President Kennedy also used specific diction that got the American people to stand beside him in the battle with the steel companies.

There may be more truth to the old saying, “it’s not what you say but how you say it.” On average, 93 percent of meaning found in communication comes from nonverbal messages (Mehrabian 1967). Nonverbal communication is the wordless transmission of information through body language, gestures, tone, space and appearance. The first televised presidential debate is a pivotal example of how pervasive nonverbal communication actually is to an audience, and how it affects the credibility of the speaker(s). The purpose of this analysis is to present both the categories and functions of nonverbal communication within the context of the 1960

In 1960 America changed, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon contended in America’s first televised presidential debates in history. These debates played a major role on the election’s outcome, but in the process a new era of television was created. Public image and being able to take advantage if media exposure became essential in political campaigns for years to come. Television has become an essential part of our democracy and changed the way we think as a race. The United States presidential election of 1960 came at a difficult time in American history and changed the way media covers elections today.

It was an inspiring speech that would remove the fear that he believed restrained the Americans and the Soviets from better relationships in the past. Meanwhile, in Washington, the President's election staff was overcome with a different fear. Despite Nixon's high standing position for being reelected, his CREEP staff (Committee to Reelect the President) was afraid that they might not have as much 'dirt' on Nixon's opponents as they had on Nixon. The President laid upon his staff the determination to do whatever possible to win the election . With this approval, Nixon's staff, headed by G. Gordon Liddy, began planning more ways of attaining information from the DNC.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, has become one of the most famous presidents in the nation's history due to his oratory skills and eloquence (Biane,2011). In this paper, we present an analysis the inaugural speech that he delivered in January 1961. Even though his Inaugural speech lasted less than fifteen minutes, the message that he saliently delivered was one that has continued to resonate in the very hearts of American citizens.