国立アメリカ歴史博物館さんのインスタグラム写真 - (国立アメリカ歴史博物館Instagram)「Do debates matter? This is a question that has been asked after every presidential debate—starting with the very first one in 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy sat in these chairs and squared off before television cameras at CBS studios. 🎥 Many candidates have believed debates mattered to *them*. After those first debates, Kennedy said he would not have won without them. His opponent, Nixon, thought that conclusion was overstated, but he changed the way in campaigned in subsequent elections, in part because of the debates. Many politicians thought Michael Dukakis lost the election in the 1988 debates. (He never felt his answers were that bad). Although there is limited evidence that candidates win or lose elections through debates—and despite the fact that there is no legal requirement for them to participate—candidates at least appear to think that debates matter enough not to skip them. Viewership data suggest debates matter to *voters*. The 1960 debates produced the largest television audience of its time. More than 50% of voters in that election said debates had influenced them; another 5-6% said their final decision was made by the debates alone. In 2016, 84 million people watched the first debate, a number equal to approximately 2/3 of the votes cast that year. But even in the absence of statistical proof of their immediate impact, there may be a larger sense in which debates matter. Jim Lehrer, who moderated 12 presidential debates over a quarter of a century, may have summarized it best: “anytime you get the candidates for president of the United States on the same stage, at the same time, talking about the same things, it’s good for democracy.” Perhaps the most important question is—do debates matter to *you*? Follow the link in our bio to learn more about the history of presidential debates—and 5 things you may want to listen for tonight: https://s.si.edu/3kYaJJ6 Still need to register to vote? Visit https://vote.gov/ and learn how you can vote in your home state or territory. 🗳️ #AmericanHistory #VoteHistory #CampaignHistory #PresidentialHistory #AmericanDemocracy」9月30日 0時19分