The Final Debate
OCTOBER 18, 1988: FERRARO-RUMSFELD DEBATE A DRAW, RACE INTENSIFIES IN FINAL DAYS
There was a lot on the line during Tuesday Night's debate and neither candidate stood out over the other. "It was a wash for voters,"
NBC's Tom Ritchie explained, "Neither candidate made a huge impact, but we did get more details about their platform, which was a bonus."
Donald Rumsfeld outlined his experience on Foreign Policy matters, claiming that he was the only candidate capable of handling issues with the Soviet Union. Ferraro clearly resented this argument, claiming that she was definitely able to handle issues of foreign policy. "I may be a woman," Gerry began, "but that doesn't mean I'm disqualified to be Commander-in-Chief!" Several women in the audience broke the "silence rule" and stood and cheered for Gerry.
Ferraro, after thanking them, continued to outline her positions on Foreign Policy issues, "In fact maybe it takes a mother in the White House to understand that nuclear weapons are not toys, but dangerous, harmful, and unneeded instruments!" Once again the crowd supported Gerry's argument. Rumsfeld did have some good lines of his own, particularly when he said, "If we're going to make sex an issue of this campaign, Ms. Ferraro, I reject the notion that a father knows less about education than a mother!" The line received much approval among the
1,610 person audience.
The debate was seen by an audience of
75 million viewers, setting a record for the most viewed Presidential Debate of all time, the record was previously held by the sole Reagan-Carter Debate in 1980. Unfortunately though this large audience didn't witness a stellar performance because both candidates were well-prepared.
31% said Ferraro won, 29% said Rumsfeld won, but 40% said the debate was a draw, numbers that boost Ferraro, but only slightly. The general election remains a draw, however, with neither candidate pulling out an edge over their opponent. Polls conducted the night before the debate showed Ferraro and Rumsfeld tied at 48-48, the tie continues after the debate.
Ferraro's campaign unleashed a series of ads in Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, and Illinois, hoping to continue momentum into the homestretch of the campaign, but a new electoral map shows trouble for the one time front runner in the campaign.
CNN's Vince Greene commented on the new map, "I think it's obvious that Ferraro's supported has decreased. People have gotten over the Reagan issue and are now looking at Rumsfeld as Donald Rumsfeld, not Ronald Reagan. That's a big change for sure." The electoral map below has some interesting results:
Ferraro has 263 Electoral Votes, Donald Rumsfeld has 194 Electoral Votes, and 81 Electoral Votes are up for grabs. Rumsfeld is campaigning aggressively in all of the gray states, he has to win each one in order to win. Ferraro, on the other hand, is focusing efforts on Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Ferraro and her more liberal surrogates, like Walter Mondale, are working in Pennsylvania while Roemer and Clinton are focusing efforts on Louisiana. They only need one of the states to win.
With Reagan's approval at 54%, Rumsfeld surely wishes the Gipper could get out and campaign for him but rumors say the President's Alzheimer's has accelerated at extreme levels and that explains why we haven't seen him since October 12th when he campaigned for Rumsfeld in Ohio. Vice President Bush has been spending several nights a week at the White House and some rumors accuse him of working out of the Oval Office on several occasions. The Vice President's approval rating hit 72% yesterday, a remarkable number considering the amount of pressure that's been on the Vice President. "He's been running the show, essentially. Americans like a leader," explained CNN's Vince Greene. Further reports have gone as far to say that the President will be unable to fulfill his term. In the daily press briefing this morning Reagan's Press Secretary said that Reagan was still "handling state affairs" and that "Vice President Bush has never worked out of the Oval Office".
