University Daily Kansan
Page 8
P.
Fridav. Oct. 14. 1960
Third Debate 'Not Up to It'
The following reactions to last night's Great Debate were written by Frank E. X. Dance and Wil Linkugel, assistant professors of speech.
A panel of expert questioners, blazing kleg lights, and dual isolation booths heralded the return of the quiz program known as the Nixon-Kennedy Great Debates. Expert questioners or not, the quality of the questions in this third debate did not seem up to those of the previous encounters.
One or two were frivolous and some showed lack of judgment. As an example of the latter, we might cite the question requesting the specific blow by blow account of how we would take reprisals after an attack on the "off-shore islands."
KENNEDY'S USE of authority and factual data was again thrown into high relief, not so much by Nixon's inattention to these techniques, as by the Vice President's continuing predilection for sentiment.
Kennedy cited chapter and verse, date and time, from the Republican administration's own record. Nixon, on the other hand, could not resist the temptation to bring in mothers, children, and patriotism, such as his remarks on the dignity of the White House and Fx-President Truman.
It must be said in his behalf that the Vice President projects sincerity and earnestness whenever he deals with such appeals to the national morality.
NIXON STROVE even harder in this debate to show Kennedy as his enemy, mistaken and wrong, uninformed and naive. This no doubt is a product of the last debate in which Nixon's aggressiveness paid off in audience response.
The Sunday edition of The New York Times devoted a front page column to reporting on the telegrams sent to the Vice President praising him for his refreshing, militant attitude towards his opponent. Unquestionably, the Nixon image of the second debate pleased both his campaign managers and himself, and he has no intention of letting this image fade.
IN THE FIRST two debates the dominant issue was national growth and development; in the third, it moved to the question of the offshore islands. The Quemoy, Matsu issue was first brought up in the second debate, and the candidate's response to the question has drawn nationwide comment in the past week.
The national concern on their position was evidenced Thursday night. To us it seemed that at the beginning of the third debate this was the position of the candidates: Nixon indicated that any attack on Quemoy or Matsu would result in an immediate armed retaliation on the part of the United States, while Kennedy felt that these two islands in themselves were not worth the risk of a nuclear conflict.
We felt that this was a clear cut difference of position. The third debate revealed that their positions were basically the same; neither
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was willing to sacrifice "the bones of a single American soldier" solely for the real estate of the two islands
THE VICE PRESIDENT's stand in the most recent debate was that an American military onslaught would only take place if an attack on Quemoy and Matsu was a recognizable "prelude to attack on Formosa." Considering the similarity in their positions, the candidates had to work extra hard to give the illusion that they differed on the issue.
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In contrast, the candidates were quite anxious to exhibit their agreement on the position of religion in this campaign. Kennedy in keeping with his position on this issue was brief, while Nixon took the time to present a well thought out statement of a truly American policy.
If judged by formal debate criteria, the Vice President would be penalized on several points. First, when given the opportunity to comment on a specific question, he sometimes introduced ideas irrelevant to the issue. For example, in his comment on Senator Kennedy's answer to the first question dealing specifically with the Quemoy-Matsu issue, he responded with the irrelevant charge the three Democratic Presidents in the last fifty years had led the nation into war. Second, was Nixon's tendency to use argumentum ad populum or appeal to the audience's emotions.
THE SAME DEBATE judge might commend Kennedy for the precision of his argument. Kennedy's verbal style exhibits remarkable clarity. It might be concluded that Nixon is the better orator, but Kennedy the better debater.
In considering physical setting and presentation, (1) we felt that the separation of the candidates detracted from the success of the program; (2) the attempt of the Vice President's advisers to have his most favorable profile emphasized was overly noticeable; (3) we feel that there is a need for some return to the personal warmth of the first debate. Nixon's occasional smile in the last debate was refreshing.
WE WOULD like to re-emphasize our position that the last two debates have suffered from a lack of thematic unity, which should be remedied in the fourth debate on foreign policy.
In our opinion, Mr. Kennedy regained the initiative in the third debate that he had lost in the second. At the same time, Vice President Nixon reaffirmed his aggressive image that he established in the debate of October 7. Public reaction to that debate indicates that this Nixon image has great popular appeal.
WASHINGTON—(UPI) —President Eisenhower will spend only a few hours in Kansas during his trip next week that will take him from Detroit to Colorado and Mexico, plus some other stops.
Eisenhower to Visit Kansas on Tuesday
The White House said today the President will arrive at Schilling Air Force Base near Salina at 1:10 pm. Tuesday.
He will leave about two hours later for Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado after a visit to the Eisenhower Library and Museum at Abilene.
Newsman Calls Debate 'Unfair'
By Lyle C. Wilson
WASHINGTON — (UPI) — Take it from an old hand at viewing and participating in TV news panel performances — the Great TV Debate between the presidential candidates is unfair.
It is unfair to the newsmen who ask the questions. It is unfair to the viewers who seek enlightenment. It is unfair because the ground rules are such that a candidate may—and sometimes does—duck a tough question if he is so minded.
HERE'S HOW: There are two candidates fielding questions, four panelists pitching. The rules provide that the panelists shall ask questions each in his turn at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes. Assume that panelist A asks a candidate a penetrating, precise and very tough question.
The candidate may choose to evade the question by talking around it. His answer will stick to the subject raised but will avoid a precise yes, no or maybe answer to the precise question asked. Panelist A is helobless. He has asked his question and he may not even complain that the answer is not responsive to the question asked.
UPI's Alvin Spivak, a good man with words, was a panelist on the second of the Great Debates. Here's an excerpt from his report on the performance:
"ANOTHER DIFFICULTY (there were several) under the 'ormat was that a panelist was allowed one question, in turn, and no opportunity even to interrupt and say, 'Just moment, Senator (or Mr. Vice President) you're not answering the question I asked.'
"The hope here, of course, is that the listening public will be aware of who's dodging what.
"But there is a feeling of helplessness, or haplessness, in a panel whose members can ask one question and then must sit silent for some minutes before getting in another query."
Spivak's complaint is that no panelist had a proper opportunity to follow up an original question or to compel a direct answer.
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But not much less.
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