During a 1976 presidential debate, President Ford made a mistake by saying that the Soviet Union was not the dominant force in Eastern Europe. The statement was given much press coverage, and polls indicated that most viewers did not recognize the error until they learned of it on the news. What effect did this reporting have on public opinion?

Question

Janiyah Matthews

Social Studies

14 January, 16:30

During a 1976 presidential debate, President Ford made a mistake by saying that the Soviet Union was not the dominant force in Eastern Europe. The statement was given much press coverage, and polls indicated that most viewers did not recognize the error until they learned of it on the news. What effect did this reporting have on public opinion?

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Carley Lloyd · Answer 1

Answer: Voters thought it made him seem less qualified.

In 1976, during his presidential debate, President Ford made a mistake that would affect directly his campaign when he said that Eastern Europe was not under the Soviet Union domination. As a result, voters thought it made him look less qualified for the president position, even though in reality he was a Yale Law School graduate and not a dummy at all.