How to Use Television Democracy in America

September 29, 2020. “You’re gonna shut up, man.” ? retorts Democrat Joe Biden to his opponent Donald Trump. The Republican keeps interrupting him. Four years later, it’s time to do it again. The places have been reversed and Biden is now the outgoing president. Will one of the protagonists defeat the other? The shaky memory of the White House tenant, who regularly makes confused remarks, worries the Democratic camp. Barely younger, the billionaire is unpredictable and, basically, does not shine in his knowledge of the issues…

On the night of Thursday to Friday, the two big names will face off on CNN for a debate whose outcome is difficult to predict. In 2020, journalist Chris Wallace (Fox News) had the greatest difficulty containing the two men. The debate will therefore be hosted tonight by two moderators (Jake Tapper and Dana Bash). This media high mass has become a ritual of American political life since the appearance of television in the heart of American homes. If it is time for clarification, it is above all the moment to move the nation. A few good words are sometimes enough to turn opinion in one’s favor. A few seconds can also trip up, sometimes irreparably. As this new confrontation approaches, Le Figaro gives you instructions for use and a list of mistakes to never make. The opportunity to retrace a brief history of this televised democracy in America.

Always focus on the camera (Kennedy-Nixon)

On September 26, 1960, the first debate of its kind was launched in black and white. It is the start of a long series of televised arguments between Republicans and Democrats. Richard Nixon, who already has two terms as vice-president, is the big Republican favorite in the campaign. More than a third of Americans are glued to their television sets (66 million viewers). But while Senator John F. Kennedy looks relaxed and fresh, his opponent appears pale and sweaty. And for good reason, he makes the mistake of refusing makeup.

Read alsoKennedy-Nixon: the first televised duel disappoints Americans in 1960

More serious, he keeps addressing the moderators instead of staring at the viewers. The senator from Massachusetts, on the contrary, systematically looks at the camera and therefore at the voter. He then reversed the trend by scrupulously following the advice of filmmaker Franklin Schaffner. The latter, once Kennedy was elected, made a documentary on the White House, written by the president’s wife (A Tour of the White House).

Reread your files carefully (Ford-Carter)

During the following presidential elections (1964, 1968, 1972) no debate between the two parties was organized. The failure of Nixon and the death of Kennedy hang over the campaigns. In 1976, outgoing Republican President Gerard Ford and Democrat Jimmy Carter agreed to return to the stage at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. Three debates are organized on several themes: domestic issues, foreign policy and various general policy topics.

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The first meeting was marked by technical problems and long sound interruptions in the middle of the live broadcast. But on October 6, 1976, during the second debate, Ford made an irreparable error. In the midst of the Cold War, he ensures that“There is no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration”, while the USSR has troops deployed in several countries. It was only six days later that he recognized that Soviet divisions were established in Poland. Following the debate, despite a slight lead in the polls, Ford lost the election.

The virtues of experience (Reagan-Mondale)

On October 21, 1984, Democrat Walter Mondale faced Republican incumbent Ronald Reagan. More than fifteen years his junior, Mondale (53) was the winner against Reagan, who was, at the time, the oldest president of the United States still in office (73 years old). But capitalizing on his experience as an actor and his ability to attract the sympathy of the crowds, Reagan turned his handicap into a major strength.

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“I am not going to turn age into a campaign issue. I am not going to exploit, for political reasons, the youth and inexperience of my opponent,” he then says to Mondale. The Democrat admits, in an interview with PBS six years later, that he had “I immediately understood that his response was going to hurt.”

Treating competition (Bush-Clinton-Perot)

Building on Reagan’s teaching, Bill Clinton (well before Trump…) took up his slogan: «Make America Great Again !» in 1992, when he announced his candidacy. If Clinton stands out for his promise to reform the welfare state and a certain pacifism, he must also thank his competitors for his victory. The second debate took place with three people since an independent candidate presented himself that year. Clinton is therefore facing outgoing Republican President George Bush (father) and populist Ross Perrot.

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During this debate, Bush would leave the image of a president who did not care about the nation. He kept looking at his watch during a question asked by the audience. A few years later, he would admit that he hated the exercise of debate: “Maybe that’s why I was looking at it (my watch), thinking: only ten more minutes of this rubbish”. Moreover, it is thanks to Perrot, who obtained 19% of the votes, that the Republican George Bush will not reach the majority in a certain number of states determining to win the campaign. Bill Clinton imposes himself thanks to the competition.

Using humor (Obama-Romney)

After the 2000s, the presidential debate is no longer just a televised event relayed by the press, but also finds an echo on the internet and social networks. Certain formulas are taken up and become real punchlines which are broadcast online.

This is what Barack Obama did during the last debate in October 2012, when he mocked his opponent Mitt Romney. The Republican regretted that the American Navy had fewer ships than during the First World War. “Well, Mr. Governor,Obama replied, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our army has changed. We have what are called aircraft carriers, on which planes land. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.This witticism had flooded social networks until his re-election.

All blows are allowed (Trump-Clinton)

While televised debates remained fairly cordial and democratic between candidates until 2012, a line was crossed in 2016. The arrival of Donald Trump on the political scene made the exchange of unprecedented violence. punchline replaces the clash ! It then becomes more difficult for journalists to moderate the candidates. The second debate of the 2016 presidential election, which pitted Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton, is an example of this.

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After the disclosure of a video where he brags about grabbing women “by the pussy”the Republican counterattacks on the private life front. He mentions the former president and husband of his rival, Bill Clinton, whom he accuses of having “abused of women”He promised to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Democratic candidate, regarding her private emails when she was head of American diplomacy. “It’s really good that someone with Donald Trump’s temperament is not in charge of the laws of our country.”she says. “You would be in prison”retorts the Republican billionaire.

Are there still rules? (Trump-Biden)

After the low blows, it was soon the insults that became widespread. During the 2020 debates, Joe Biden calls his opponent a «clown» and of “Putin’s poodle”. He affirms that “the world knows he’s a liar.” “He doesn’t have a plan! He has no plan!” the Democrat keeps repeating. It is no longer a question of convincing but of hammering home the information so that it conditions the decision. The populist Donald Trump, for his part, keeps shouting constantly to interrupt his rival and cut him off. “47 years of politics and you have done nothing” he castigates, “You are the worst president!”

If the two men no longer listen to each other, viewers don’t hear anything either. They hate each other but no longer make the effort to hide it. Politeness, even the rules of rhetoric, are abolished. Despite technical progress, the viewer is presented with a jerky, inaudible speech. The chaos that emerges is indeed political in nature. So when night fell, the two beasts of the “democracy” American will enter the arena again… With age helping, will it be different this time?

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