Someone Please Cite a Presidential Election Where A Debate Turned The Election Completely Around?

[Yavin4]

Sure, a lot of folks here are not happy, but please point me to one presidential election where a debate completely changed the dynamics of the election. Show me one instance where a debate was a game changer.

Thank you.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

1. Also,

there's not a great abundance of undecided voters. In order for Romney to win he has to convince a significant portion of Obama voters across a dozen different states. Moving that amount of voters is a tall order.

[pstokely]

6. And many channels not showing the debate

This isn't 1976 with no more than 5 channels

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

7. You win the internet!

When I go through and read posts lamenting the "effect" FOX "News" has on the electorate I want to scream! The highest rated show on FNC is "The O'reilly Factor", which gets about 650,000 (or roughly the population of Milwaukee, Wisconsin) viewers a night! I remind people that if O'reilly's program, or any other 24H prime time show aired during prime time, on "FX", "Bravo", "USA", "AMC", or "Discovery" those shows wouldn't last a month.

Bottom line, barring a major national/international incident, those 24 hour cable networks have very little influence on public opinion.

AM radio is where we (we being liberals), run into problems.

[pstokely]

8. Most people only turn on news channels during breaking news, not for punditry

And most nightly news channel viewers tend to be outside the 18-49 demographic.

[BainsBane]

2. Some pundits have claimed the 1980 election turned on the debate

But I don't know if that is really true. Nate Silver shows the polling average in that election favoring Reagan in late Sept. I don't know when the debate that year was held.

[leftynyc]

17. I think the pundits are right about Reagan

but there is a big difference. Reagan was a very likeable person (as was bush junior) - Nobody seems to like Romney and from what I saw, last night did absolutely nothing for his likeability ratings.

[BainsBane]

22. I hope you're right

We'll see as polls come out in the next few days.

[DJ13]

3. JFK & Nixon in 1960?

[Ikonoklast]

5. TV won that debate for Kennedy.

While Nixon was sweating and had a five-o'clock shadow for all to see on the tube, those that listened on the radio thought he had won.

Acutally, the dead coming back to vote in Chicago won that election for Jack...or so I've heard.

[msanthrope]

9. The Daley Zombies? nt

[WinkyDink]

10. I know ALL about that election, and have SINCE 1960.

http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election.asp

[Yavin4]

12. That Debate Didn't Change The Election Dynamic

It was a razor thin, close election all the way through.

[jwirr]

21. That is the one I was thinking about. But a lot of that had to do with how Nixon looked.

[Barry2012]

4. Reagan vs. carter

A lot of people got caught up in reagans lies, and the rest is history.bad, bad debate by the president.I bet mitt its sitting at home with a smirk on his face right now.

[Yavin4]

13. Carter Was Already Trailing Reagan in the Polls

The debates didn't change that.

[Nye Bevan]

11. Reagan's "youth and inexperience" zinger removed his age as an issue (nt)

[Jennicut]

14. Mondale was already losing by then.

I suppose it didn't help either but I don't think Mondale was going to win even if he did have a great performance.

[grantcart]

15. Ford versus Carter

Ford said that he didn't think that the people of Poland considered themselves dominated by the Soviet Union.

But it really makes your larger point because the only reason that it was so effective is that it reinforced a wider image that the public had about Ford, that he wasn't very bright.

In the end Ford almost came back and won anyway, so even with this disaster and everything else, the incumbent almost won anyway.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. Ford Closed A Thirty Three Point Gap If The Polling Of That Time Was To Be Believed

And would have probably won the election if it was held two weeks later given his momentum, despite a hugely embarrassing gaffe during one of the debates.

[grantcart]

19. yes and the "Poland? comment was the center of the 30 point

Drop and Ford did lose the election.

Almost certainly had he not made the comment he would have won, answering the ? In the OP.

[Missycim]

18. No question

JFK vs Nixon, 1960

[JPZenger]

20. George W. Bush did horrible in 2004 debates and still re-elected

I think Romney's performance will quickly haunt him with fact-checking.

In any case, George W. in 2004 debates did absolutely horrible and still got re-elected. Remember that it was so bad that people were wondering if he was medicated with a battery-operated IV pack on his back?