Let me set the stage. It's the fall of 1960; and for the first time in American history, two presidential candidates, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, are going to debate each other publicly on this new-fangled invention - television. Both are capable candidates and experienced politicians. But that's not what the electorate sees...and it became a deciding factor in the election. Kennedy is widely regarded as having "won" the first debate. Presenting himself as poised and confident, he had the aura of a confident movie star. He had spent the previous days with his campaign team planning for the debate and rehearsing his … [Read more...]