WI: Nixon had accepted the CBS make-up crew

What if Nixon had taken up the offer of CBS to reduce Nixon's pale complexion with their own make-up team before the TV Debate with Kennedy?
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
It would probably swing some more votes his way since he would probably come out of that debate looking much better than in OTL. As to whether or not he'd win the presidency, I'd say no. Kennedy won largely due to the Democratic Party machines in Illinois and Texas, machines which employed rather...underhanded means. I don't care how good Nixon looked in the debate, it won't change the vote of every corpse in Cook County.:p
 
What if Nixon had taken up the offer of CBS to reduce Nixon's pale complexion with their own make-up team before the TV Debate with Kennedy?

It wouldn't make a difference. Nixon would still be sweaty and fidgety. His body language and manner made more difference, and I doubt makeup on black and white TV's would do too much to his look to boot.
 
While radio listeners did award the debate to Nixon and Nixon was still recovering from the flu, I doubt a slightly better looking Nixon would have changed the outcome of the election.

As others have noted, it was the "efforts" of the various Democratic machines in Illinois and Texas, along with West Virginia, that really decided the election. The debt owed the Daley machine would have great consequences in 1968.


Bill
 
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