Perhaps as damning a testament to our collective political culture as the possibility that the biggest liar may become our next president, is our clear, collective recollection of and amusement at gaffes, zingers, “Oops’,” one-liners, missteps, gotchas, etc. that occur during our nation’s most important and consequential debates: the quadrennial vice-presidential and presidential debates.
The first presidential debate this season, in my opinion, did not produce any such memorable lines or heated exchanges, unless one wants to call Romney’s kooky death threat against Big Bird a zinger.
In a bizarre way, the entire debate was unmemorable. While others will have totally different takes on this phenomenon and on the reasons for such, it is my opinion that one of the debaters was so aghast at, so taken aback by and, consequently, so totally unprepared to refute his opponent’s brash and rampant untruths, distortions, flip-flops and gimmicks that he suffered total “zinger amnesia.”
Be as it may for this one — and with the likelihood that we will be treated to some choice zingers at Centre College, Danville, and Kentucky, this Thursday — there have been plenty such exciting moments in past debates.
The one I remember best — and my political persuasion may show here — is Sarah Palin’s well prepared, well rehearsed, condescending “Can I call you Joe?” as she strutted to shake then-Sen. Joe Biden’s hand at the beginning of the 2008 VP debate.
Back in 1976, Gerald Ford — to the great surprise of millions of Polish and Eastern European Americans — declared that Poland was free from domination by the Soviet Union.
Sometimes, humor is as or more effective than denigrating the opponent. Witness Ronald Reagan in 1984, facing questions about his age, saying to Walter Mondale, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
Gaffes are not necessarily only words.
Some of the most consequential mistakes made during such debates consist of inopportune glances, body language, the candidate’s physical appearance or even a simple but noticeable sigh.
Examples:
During his debate with Bill Clinton in 1992, George H.W. Bush conspicuously checked his watch as if bored or having more important things to do, while an audience member asked a serious question about the national debt.
I know almost everyone remembers vice president Al Gore sighing, rolling his eyes and even invading George W. Bush’s space at one point during the 2000 presidential debate in Boston.
Finally, in 1960, in the days of black-and-white television and of inadequate air conditioning, some of us real seniors will remember Richard Nixon’s perspiring, uncomfortable, almost sick-looking — some say “shifty” — appearance facing a young, good-looking, smiling, cool-as-a-cucumber Sen. John F. Kennedy in what became a critical debate and a critical factor in Kennedy’s victory.
For some reason, I believe that vice-presidential debates are prone to produce the most zingers, the most fireworks.
How about third-party candidate Ross Perot’s running mate, Admiral James Stockdale, in his 1992 Vice Presidential debate rhetorical “Who am I? Why am I here?”
Or four years before that, when Senator Dan Quayle argued that he had as much experience as Jack Kennedy did when Kennedy sough the presidency, and Senator Lloyd Bentsen merciless said, “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
Perhaps in anticipation of Thursday’s debate, the Washington Post published today “The six most memorable moments in vice presidential debate history.”
We will just have to wait and see if Thursday’s debate produces the “seventh” — or more.
Oops Image via shutterstock.com
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.