Editor's note: CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public policy at Princeton University. He is the author and editor of 25 books, including the upcoming “Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue.” Follow him on Twitter. Julian ZelizerThe opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. See more opinions on CNN.
CNN —
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off in a CNN debate next Thursday night, but the most important moments will likely revolve around the one-liners the candidates are sure to unleash.
While the candidates spend a lot of time crafting their opening statements, memorizing statistics and reciting policy points, the most important parts of the debate are likely to be the quips and awkward gaffes.
Like it or not, sarcasm and gaffes have tended to be the most influential elements of televised presidential debates since Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon faced off in 1960. While appearances certainly matter, it's the candidate with the wittiest remarks — or the most nasty lines — who can have the biggest impact.
Some candidates have been known to stumble in front of the cameras. Few have come close to Republican President Gerald Ford, who, during a debate with President Jimmy Carter in 1976, said the Soviet Union did not control Eastern Europe. Ford's intent was to declare that the satellite nations rejected the legitimacy of Soviet domination. Ford's words made him sound like a clueless president who knew nothing about foreign affairs.
In 1988, when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis was asked by CNN host Bernard Shaw if he would support the death penalty if his wife, Kitty, was raped and murdered, he replied, “No, I wouldn't, Bernard. You know I've always been against the death penalty. I don't see any evidence that it deterrents, and I think there are better, more effective ways to deal with violent crime,” and put on one of his most awful faces. Dukakis, who prided himself on being a technocrat, simply put on an indifferent look. His opponent, Vice President George H.W. Bush, drooled.
Decades later, in 2012, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, trying to brag about his diversity efforts, made the blunder that reinforced the perception that Republicans disrespected women when he said, “I had an opportunity to put together a cabinet, and it seemed like all the applicants were men. … I went to some women's groups and said, 'Can you help me find people?' And they brought me binders full of women.” The awkward remark quickly caught on and helped President Barack Obama at a time when women were strongly supportive of the Democrats.
A poorly worded sentence can create a negative impression of the candidate, but a perfectly delivered phrase can deflect ongoing criticism and deliver a scathing blow.
Few presidents have been as good at one-liners as former movie star Ronald Reagan. In 1980, after his Republican opponent Jimmy Carter gave a lengthy explanation of how he would cut Medicare, Reagan simply replied, “Not again,” making it seem as if Carter was exaggerating.
Four years later, amid questions about whether he was too old for a second term, Reagan said of his opponent, former Vice President Walter Mondale, “I am not going to make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.”
When President George H. W. Bush seemed confused by a town hall question about how the debt had personally affected him, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton responded with such perfection that it made him jump out of his seat: “I've seen what's happened these last four years. In my state, there's a good chance you know the names of people who've lost their jobs. When a factory closes, you know the people who ran it. When a company goes bankrupt, you know that person.”
President Bush didn't seem to understand the questioner's pain. President Clinton did, and it took just a few words to show empathy. Suddenly, leading a small state became a virtue for him, not a weakness.
Fast forward to 2000. Vice President Al Gore, who had already been criticized for sighing (perceived as arrogant) in an earlier debate, walked toward Texas Governor George W. Bush in a gesture that seemed intended to be intimidating, but the governor simply looked up, nodded, and carried on, making his opponent come across as aggressive and awkward.
Memorable moments, good or bad, were not turning points in themselves, but they served to reinforce and solidify existing perceptions voters had about the candidates.
In fact, in the internet age, one-liners have become increasingly important: Because much of the debate is experienced exclusively through the circulation of short videos that people watch on their computers and smartphones, these videos can be played multiple times and reach voters who are not usually interested in politics.
Thursday's debate will provide ample opportunity for both candidates to deliver well-rehearsed lines about the other. Biden will want to find words that convey he is a leader who knows how to govern, who brings stability to government, and who respects the sanctity of our democratic institutions. Without playing into the traps of Republicans who have charged that the multiple charges against Trump are politically motivated, Biden will want to remind voters that Trump is a convicted felon. But it's not just the words that matter, it's how Biden delivers them, and it will be crucial to avoid the impression that he is too old to serve another term.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter
Trump, who brings the intensity of a UFC fighter to the stage, will likely focus on his opponent and launch a tirade against Biden, calling him incompetent to do his job and a pawn of the “radical left.” Trump may also focus on Biden's son Hunter's gun conviction to raise questions about corruption in the White House.
For years, we've listened to Biden and Trump's speeches, press conferences and interviews. Their backgrounds and policy views shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. But when they step into the debate studio side by side, the barbs they hurl at each other and the resulting verbal stumbles will be glaring and could make or break the candidates on the national stage.
