The Debate
The Debate
I don’t remember Mr. Henderson, my Speech teacher and our high school’s Debate Coach, teaching us to debate in the manner in which we witnessed earlier this month, in the 2024 Presidential Debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump. My fear is that the latest presidential debate will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons. And, it’s not like our country is devoid of up and coming, as well as very skilled debaters. First to my mind comes my niece, whom I fondly call “Kaiser”. She is so sweet, at first impression, you’d agree that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. During Kaiser’s high school years and now at university, there have been quite a few debate opponents who have misread that beautiful smile she wears. I’m told a number of Kaiser’s debate opponents have trembled at the mention of her name; she is that good at debating! I’m convinced that It is because she is always overly prepared and totally focused on scoring on the merits of her given subject. That’s the “speech and debate” I was taught.
Once upon a time, orators were national celebrities and folks would walk or ride a horse for over an hour just to hear their speeches. These “meetings” were social events, where attendees also learned firsthand of national events. Take for instance, The Great Triumvirate – Webster, Clay & Calhoun – from the mid 19th century.
Daniel Webster - “The Godlike Daniel” - had a quality of voice and a “huge chest that could power his miraculous instrument”. Webster was invited to the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Bunker Hill held in Boston on June 17, 1825 where he was sharing the podium with Lafayette. Undaunted by the ceremony, Webster stirred the twenty thousand strong crowd with the closing lines “Let our object be our country, our whole country and nothing but our country.” There was little doubt that this orator would become Senator Webster and he didn’t disappoint what was now a national audience with what historians refer to as his “2nd reply to Hayne”, a two-day speech that resonated in the halls of Congress. “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable” is still remembered today as the call to action from this Webster speech.
By 1850, Webster had been joined by Henry Clay from Kentucky. As this pair strove for unity in the country with a number of “Compromise” pieces of legislation, which were all preceded by extraordinary oratory. Daniel Webster is renown for his contribution, “The Constitution and The Union”, which was a three- and half-hour delivery on March 7th. It is recorded that Webster’s eyes appeared like two balls of fire addressing the topic of secession with great drops of perspiration beaded on his face.
As good an orator as Daniel Webster was, it is generally agreed that Henry Clay was the better speaker and debater. Clay will forever be remembered as “The Compromiser” for his diligent work in Washington to stitch together the Compromise of 1830 and 1850. It was this latter piece of legislation that drew the last bit of energy from him before his death. His senatorial address, “The Compromise of 1850” lasted over four- and three-quarter hours over two days, allowing the statesman to rest and recharge. I read Robert Remini’s book, “Henry Clay – Stateman for the Union” prior to my visiting his estate, “Ashlands”, in Lexington. It was so poignant to me in my visiting that the mansion had been reconstructed from the rubble found in the outhouse pits on site. The curators have done a superb job of restoration and I could sense Clay’s personality through touring each room. The estimable man who early in his congressional career was clearly frustrated with the “despotic actions” of President Andrew Jackson and spent three days in the senate gallery debating how the President required a censure for his placing “the very existence of liberty and the government in peril. To most observers, Clay’s extemporaneous remarks were falling on the deaf ears of the Vice President, Martin Van Buren, who was quietly reading a book whilst presiding over the chamber during this time. Clay with his voice in full throttle of sarcasm dared Van Buren to address his concerns with the President right that minute. It is recorded that the Vice President summoned another senator to take his speaker’s chair and then stepped onto the floor heading directly toward Clay. A fully packed gallery anxiously awaited a dust up between two of the most prominent politicians in the country. Vice President Van Buren bowed to Henry Clay, and instead of challenging the statesman, asked in a mocking voice if the Senator would “allow me to be indebted to you for another pinch of your aromatic Maccoboy”. Remini writes, “Dumfounded, Clay simply waved his hand toward the gold snuff box he kept on his desk. Van Buren sampled it and then leisurely returned to the chair of the presiding officer.”
The one common thread with each of these debating forums of years past is the sheer length of their address, nearly all of them measured in hours and audiences who sat through their duration. My publicist keeps reminding me that my reels posted on today’s social media must be kept to 15 seconds. I guess this is progress, eh?
As the icons of Webster and Clay were fading from the national scene, there was a senator from Illinois, who was there to carry on their legacy. His name was Stephen Douglas, The Little Giant, who was goaded into sharing the stage with an upstart rail splitter from the newly formed Republican party, and thus began the concept of a “debate” for public office. Abraham Lincoln in an effort to rebut the sitting senator, simply showed up in every town after Douglas had delivered his address. Lincoln stated, “it is in fact a concluding speech on him.” Annoyed by Lincoln’s campaigning, Douglas begrudgingly offered to share the stage with the theretofore unknown candidate for Illinois senate seat in 1858. Douglas chose seven venues, prominent points in each congressional district, where he and Lincoln would debate. They agreed that each candidate would begin alternatively with the person going first having one hour to make his case, then the opponent being given ninety minutes in rebuttal before the opening candidate would close the debate with an half hour wrap up. From this foray into political debates came the “Freeport Doctrine” named after the Lincoln/Douglas debate in Freeport, Illinois. The main issue during the campaign was “slavery extension”, which had divided the nation into two hostile camps and threatened the continued existence of the Union. Lincoln in his allotted time in Freeport asked Douglas to reconcile the candidate’s support of “popular sovereignty” with the recently released Dred Scott decision where free slaves would lose their “free” status if taken across state lines. Douglas’ feeble reply was basically, don’t establish these laws in your local communities that protect slave owner’s property. Douglas’ stance on this main issue split the Democrat Party. Douglas narrowly defeated Lincoln in 1858 but lost his stature as a national figure. Meanwhile, a post-debate “bounce” saw Lincoln acclaimed as an eloquent spokesman for his party, one who saw a dominant run by the Republicans from 1860-1884.
One cannot have a discourse on presidential debates and not mention the first debating contest broadcast on television. Four dates were agreed to by the candidates, Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John Kennedy. The first debate aired on CBS in Chicago on September 26, 1960 with Howard K. Smith as the moderator. Following were debates in Washington D.C. on October 7th with Frank McGee from NBC moderating, the October 13th debate where Nixon was in Los Angeles and Kennedy showed up in ABC studios in New York City, and the last debate held in New York City again on October 21st. History only focuses on that first televised debate. As a candidate, Kennedy was trailing by a wide margin in the public’s opinion. He was “untested” and very young at 43 years of age. Kennedy not only thoroughly researched the potential debate topics, over 100 memorized answers from index cards, but left no stone unturned by visiting the CBS studio in advance for the lighting conditions and temperature etc. Meanwhile, the seasoned politico, Nixon arrived on the debating scene after multiple stops on the campaign trail for that late September day. Nixon refused make up to hide his 5 o’clock shadow, wore a gray suit that simply blended into the backdrop, which only accentuated his tired and pale appearance and sweaty brows. Historians are reluctant to state that this one debate turned the campaign on its head for both candidates, but Kennedy won the race by only .2% of the vote, or with about 118,000 votes to spare.
Nationally televised debates can impact a candidate’s chances of winning the oval office, and that’s why they have been a staple of each election year since 1976. What an incredible opportunity to address the voting public, especially if the candidates can effectively articulate their plan going forward. The bygone days of the orator who spell bounds an entire nation may never return. However, issues that deeply divide our country seem to be the one constant over time and throughout our history. Webster’s words, “Let our object be our country, our whole country and nothing but our country” if taken up as a battle cry today, could go a long way toward the healing of our nation, where once again, we could honestly pledge to one another that this is “one country, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”.