Letting the Cats Out the Bag: Weirdest and Best Presidential Debate Moments.

As we all know, presidential debates rarely have as big an impact as we imagine they do. But that doesn’t mean they don’t provide those of us who are interested (hello, reader!) an insight into the character of the nominee and how they intend to lead.

The first Presidential debate of this year was perhaps the most influential in modern US history, with President Joe Biden’s faltering performance being the instigator to him dropping out of the race. Round Two, between Trump and Biden’s successor Kamala Harris, took place earlier this week. And whilst it ultimately will be the less consequential of the two debates, it certainly made for far more entertaining viewing. We had personal insults, claims of babies being executed, and perhaps most memorably, accusations of illegal immigrants eating the pets of Ohio. So with this still fresh in our mind, let us revisit some of the highlights from presidential debates gone by.

Given that we have a former television star presidential candidate, it is only natural to segue on to a famous moment of the former movie star president, Ronald Reagan. While we saw the devastating consequences of appearing too frail for the job of President in Biden, Reagan managed to weather the same storm far more adeptly. In 1984 he, too, faced questions of whether his age would impact his ability to serve as President; a just question, as he was the eldest President in US history at that time (at a now relatively youthful 73). When pressed on his age, Reagan did not allow himself to look tired at the podium, or get drawn into arguments over which candidate is the better golfer. Rather Reagan, smooth as ever, said “I want you to know that I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience”. Cue audience laughter, the moderator’s laughter, and even the Democratic nominee’s laughter.

The comparison between Reagan and Biden is both apposite and stark. Biden, at the time where he most needed to put on a performance of a lifetime and dispel the unrest around his age, could not rise to the moment. Reagan could - he was able to coolly and calmly deflect an attack line that we know can scupper an incumbent president's run for reelection.

While Regan’s deflection was certainly entertaining it didn’t qualify as jaw dropping. For a Trump-like “they are eating the dogs!” moment, we have to look back to 1988, where Michael Dukakis and George Bush Sr. were fighting it out for the White House. Dukakis was under fire for being opposed to the death penalty and for being perceived as too bland. This criticism prompted the moderator of the debate to ask perhaps the most offensive question ever asked in a presidential debate, when he queried “If [your wife] were raped and murdered, would you favour an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?”. To any ordinary person the answer to this is quite obvious - a firm smack to the back of the head of the moderator. However Dukakis did not do this, rather he entered a multi-minute ramble covering the murder stats of Massachusetts and the drugs policy of his opposition, and not once did he mention his wife Kitty. The combination of the emotive topic and the jaw-droppingly bland and grey way only a bureaucrat knows how to deliver really sealed Dukakis fate.

Another contender in the jaw-dropping sweepstakes was Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” comment in 2012. In Romney’s second debate with Obama he came in on a strong foot having trounced the incumbent in their previous round of sparring. However when the two opponents next entered the debating ring, Romney struck one of the most infamous self-knockouts of the modern political era. Whilst trying to demonstrate his credentials as a champion of women’s rights and that he is the man that could ensure equal pay for women in the workplace, Romney embarked on a ramble about his time as governor. He explained that while in the governor’s house he had gone out of his way to find women for cabinet positions, and in his search he had acquired “binders full of women”. Way to go with not objectifying women Mitt. Rather than conjuring the image of himself as a pro feminist champion as intended, Romney had instead made the collective psyche of America picture him as a Hannibal Lecter-esque figure that collected women like top trumps. As we know, Romney did not go on to win the 2012 election.

What we can glean by looking back through these bizarre and interesting moments of past Presidential debates is in fact a contradiction to my opening statement of this very piece. While in hindsight we can all look back and see that it was a sure thing that Reagan would win the White House for a second term, or that Romney never stood a chance against Obama, this doesn’t paint a fair picture of the campaigns. A poor choice of words ensures that there will be no comeback for a losing candidate. A poor performance entrenches the opinion of the candidate as floundering within the minds of the American populace, and writes them off as the next occupier of America’s highest office. Similarly, the direct parallel between a suave Reagan and a frail Biden is clear: it shows that the attack lines that can take down one President can just as easily be brushed aside with a single sentence by another - but only on the platform provided by a Presidential debate. So, while Trump may have ruled out any further bouts for this campaign season, when 2028 comes around maybe it really is worthwhile tuning in and hearing what the Elephant and the Donkey have to say.