[qzw]

There’s a meme that we are where we are today in the U.S. starting with the Reagan presidency, and there’s certainly a lot of truth to that. But personally I believe American politics began a long downward trend once television became the primary medium. We’ve all heard how JFK outsmarted Nixon during their televised debate by wearing a blue shirt, because blue showed up as white whereas Nixon’s white shirt showed up as gray. The visuals of candidates began to dominate politics, and people made their judgements based that. Would Reagan have even become president if he wasn’t so good in front of a camera?

[tmm]

> We’ve all heard how JFK outsmarted Nixon during their televised debate by wearing a blue shirt, because blue showed up as white whereas Nixon’s white shirt showed up as gray.

Huh. I always heard that Nixon refused makeup and JFK didn’t, with the result being about the same: Kennedy looked healthy and Nixon looked like a sweaty corpse. But considering the quality of TV screens and broadcasts in 1960, the shirt thing sounds more realistic.

[drewcoo]

JFK didn't just wear shirts on TV.

He managed to convince the dead in Cook county, Illinois to vote for him, often several times each! I'd consider that a much more impressive first. It eclipses hanging chads and Russiagate in more recent elections. JFK won the election because Nixon conceded even though there were plenty of suspicious circumstances - more than enough to justify challenging the results of a very close election.

Today the people have so little faith in the system and in the candidates that almost half of them don't vote.

[smegger001]

I have heard this accusation made about every election my entire life the only change.is the canidate and district. but when you look into it the numbers of voter fraud cases found have been in the low double digits. I think its an urban legend at this point.

[drewcoo]

As I stated above, the Daley machine rigged the 1960 election. 3 people did prison time for it. That absolutely happened.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_United_States_presidentia...

It doesn't actually matter whether or not election fraud is "an urban legend." Faith in the system has been lost. That was Nixon's fear and the reason he didn't contest the election results.

[deprecative]

Then Nixon destroyed faith in the system and set us down this path. Maybe the treason guy isn't who you should prop up as some vanguard of democracy.

[deprecative]

Then Nixon destroyed faith in the system and set us down this path. Maybe the treason guy isn't who you should prop up as some vanguard of democracy.