1984 Vice Presidential Debate
Encyclopedia
As part of the 1984 United States presidential election
,
on October 11, 1984, the Democratic Party
nominee for Vice President of the United States
, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro
, and the Republican Party
nominee, incumbent Vice President George H.W. Bush, participated in a televised campaign debate. The debate was the first vice presidential debate to feature a woman and was the only vice presidential debate in the race. It was moderated by Sander Vanocur
of ABC News
and held at the Philadelphia Civic Center
.
and four years as Vice President. The peak of the experience battle came when, during a discussion of the Carter administration in Iran
and the Reagan administration
in Lebanon
, Bush said, "Let me help you with the difference, Mrs. Ferraro, between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon." Ferraro responded to cap what The New York Times
termed "a bristling exchange", "Let me just say first of all, that I almost resent, Vice President Bush, your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy."
for being pro-choice
on abortion
, a position in conflict with Catholic moral doctrine. She strongly defended her position at the debate, which earned her audience applause and a respectful reply from her opponent. Bush was attacked for his change in views since 1980, his transition from pro-choice
to pro-life
.
and El Salvador
, stating that both Sandinista soldiers levels and Soviet and Cuban advisors levels had increased during the Reagan years. She also criticized the mining of the harbors in Nicaragua as a violation of international law.
the moderator, Sander Vancour, cut her off in order to ask the enthusiastically applauding audience to calm down.
An open microphone caught Bush bragging that he had "kicked a little ass" following the debate.
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
,
on October 11, 1984, the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro was an American attorney, a Democratic Party politician, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. She was the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party....
, and the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee, incumbent Vice President George H.W. Bush, participated in a televised campaign debate. The debate was the first vice presidential debate to feature a woman and was the only vice presidential debate in the race. It was moderated by Sander Vanocur
Sander Vanocur
Sander "Sandy" Vanocur is an American journalist.- Career :Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Vanocur moved to Peoria, Illinois when he was twelve years old. After attending Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the Northwestern...
of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
and held at the Philadelphia Civic Center
Philadelphia Civic Center
The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center, more commonly known as the Philadelphia Civic Center and the Philadelphia Convention Center, was a complex of five or more buildings developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition...
.
Ferraro's experience
Ferraro handled a question about her experience at the debate, after being asked how her three House terms stacked up with Bush's two House terms, career as an ambassador to China and the United Nations, Director of Central IntelligenceDirector of Central Intelligence
The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence was the head of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the principal intelligence advisor to the President and the National Security Council, and the coordinator of intelligence activities among and between the various United...
and four years as Vice President. The peak of the experience battle came when, during a discussion of the Carter administration in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the Reagan administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Bush said, "Let me help you with the difference, Mrs. Ferraro, between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon." Ferraro responded to cap what The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
termed "a bristling exchange", "Let me just say first of all, that I almost resent, Vice President Bush, your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy."
Views on abortion
As a Roman Catholic, Ferraro came under fire from the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
for being pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, a position in conflict with Catholic moral doctrine. She strongly defended her position at the debate, which earned her audience applause and a respectful reply from her opponent. Bush was attacked for his change in views since 1980, his transition from pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
to pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
.
Central America
Ferraro said ,"We're not moving toward a more secure area of the world," in regards to NicaraguaNicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, stating that both Sandinista soldiers levels and Soviet and Cuban advisors levels had increased during the Reagan years. She also criticized the mining of the harbors in Nicaragua as a violation of international law.
Voting Rights Act
When Ferraro criticized Reagan's actions of refusing to support, and later signing, the Voting Rights ActVoting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
the moderator, Sander Vancour, cut her off in order to ask the enthusiastically applauding audience to calm down.
Aftermath
The result was proclaimed mostly even by newspapers, television, other media, and historians. Women voters tended to think Ferraro had won, while men, Bush. Some media, however, either declared Bush or Ferraro the winner. The candidates were praised, both, for their ability to debate.An open microphone caught Bush bragging that he had "kicked a little ass" following the debate.