(119) TELEVISION, ELVIS PRESLEY and JOHN F. KENNEDY

An event that prooved that television was gaining importance beyond entertainment was the United States Presidential elections of 1960. Richard Nixon, the Republican, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the Democrat, debated on television. This brought the campaign from the whistle stops and rubber chicken luncheons into the homes of Americans who were charmed by JFK's more youthful body language, charismatic smile, and optimistic outlook. Historians have since remarked that Nixon's dark beard, uncovered by studio makeup, gave him a dour, dark look.

Now Elvis and me always sided with the poor because we had both grown up poor and come out of nowhere. That made us Democrats, right? Except that we were also self-made men who had made it out of poverty in youth through talent, luck, and damn hard work. That made us Republicans, right? I can't tell you who Elvis voted for when he voted, I can tell you that we were both patriotic and we both believed that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a President who was going to change the world.

Now the link below is really exciting. It takes you to the JFK PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY and links that can take you to television clips about the campaign and election. You can be sure that Elvis, me, and the guys (and any gals who happened to be around at the time) were fascinated with the machinations of politics and watched some of this coverage.

JFK PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY HOME PAGE link above

Here is the televised debate

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/JFK+in+History/Campaign+of+1960.htm