1960 Presidential Election
The 1960 Presidential Election was a closely contested race between Republican candidate Richard Nixon and Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy. Kennedy ultimately won the election by a narrow margin, becoming the youngest president elected at the time. The televised debates between the two candidates were influential in shaping public opinion and are often cited as a key factor in Kennedy's victory.
3 Key excerpts on "1960 Presidential Election"
eBook - ePub- Peter J. Ling(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Instead of seeing the first debate as the hallmark of a slick TV campaign that guaranteed a Kennedy triumph, it is more accurate to see it as a temporary gain made significant by other steps that his campaign took in the closing weeks. The high turnout, for example, was also a product of a significant voter registration drive. By early October, Democrats had signed up 8.5 million new voters in key states such as New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and California; all except the last of these states went for Kennedy in November. A focused campaign The chief message from Kennedy in 1960 was “It is time to get this country moving again,” a dynamic theme that capitalized on the contrast between the ageing president and the youthful candidate. Nixon stood on the message “Experience Counts,” but the Republican platform had largely staked out a position of moderate change, hoping to split the Democrats if they tried to be more radical and to attract conservative-oriented independent voters. At rallies, Kennedy astutely selected proposals that could appeal to key constituencies. He spoke about the need for health insurance for the elderly, which addressed a key concern among older voters, and he urged federal aid to school districts struggling to cope with the demands of the baby boom and a mobile population. On civil rights, he endorsed the liberal platform and used the issue to illustrate the Eisenhower presidency's inertia. He declared that there were areas of discrimination that the president could address directly by executive order, citing the example of federally funded housing. In this area, he said, discrimination could be eliminated by “a stroke of the pen” (Dallek 2003: 292). The overarching concern for voters remained foreign policy, where Kennedy tried to capitalize on the sense that the Soviets had caught up with the US in the Cold War contest...
eBook - ePubWestern Civilization: A Global and Comparative Approach
Volume II: Since 1600
- Kenneth L. Campbell(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Young people with more independence and education than ever became a driving force behind cultural change. In 1967 a rock group called the Beatles released a stunningly creative album that symbolized an important shift in youth culture at the same time that it captured the spirit of its times. Young people inspired by the rock and folk movements denounced the Vietnam War. A wave of protests related to the war and other issues of discontent swept through the West in the late 1960s. The protest movement extended to Czechoslovakia in the communist bloc. Finally, Israel also helped to define the decade with a war that shaped the history of the Middle East, as well as the experiences and values of Jews at home and abroad. Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) won the 1960 election for president of the United States by a slim margin over then Vice President Richard M. Nixon (1913–1994). Kennedy recognized the importance of the Cold War and the need to demonstrate his ability to serve as the main political leader of the noncommunist world. At first, he was at the mercy of experienced officials in the military and intelligence agencies who convinced him to authorize a planned invasion of Cuba and to take a hard line toward the Soviet Union. Kennedy did not need much convincing. He did not believe that the totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union could be mollified through negotiations without a strong military threat. A veteran of World War II, Kennedy had criticized the British policy of appeasement toward Hitler in his senior thesis at Harvard University, published under the title Why England Slept. He had come to view the Soviet Union in much the same way as he viewed Nazi Germany: as a totalitarian dictatorship that needed to be opposed, by force if necessary...
eBook - ePubA Citizen's Guide to U.S. Elections
Empowering Democracy in America
- Costas Panagopoulos, Aaron C. Weinschenk(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...4 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Every four years, U.S. presidential elections generate considerable media attention, excitement, and debate. Even people who aren’t normally all that interested in politics often become engaged because of all of the “hoopla” surrounding the election. Campaign advertisements fill the airwaves (at least in some places); candidates crisscross the country making campaign stops in many states; pollsters constantly survey the American electorate to learn which candidate is in the lead; and media outlets report on each candidate’s every move. It is hard to avoid politics during presidential election years, especially if one lives in a state that the campaigns view as being “up for grabs.” Given the importance of the presidency in the United States, it is not surprising that presidential elections typically attract higher levels of voter participation than congressional midterm, state, or local elections. Despite the prominence of presidential elections, many Americans find some features of our electoral system to be confusing and, at times, frustrating. In this chapter, we focus on three important aspects of the presidential election process—the selection of candidates, the role of the Electoral College, and the factors that influence election outcomes. The Selection of Presidential Nominees For many people, the most interesting aspect of presidential elections is the candidate pool. Who are the candidates among whom voters will get to choose? Unlike local elections, which often attract candidates with little experience in politics, presidential elections typically draw candidates who have significant previous experience in government as well as national reputations. In the 2012 election, for example, Barack Obama had previously served as a U.S. senator and Mitt Romney had previously served as the governor of Massachusetts and was the runner-up for the Republican nomination in the previous presidential contest in 2008...
