Debategate

Overview

Debategate was a scandal affecting the administration of Ronald Reagan; it took place in the final days of the 1980 presidential election. Briefing papers that were to have been used by President Jimmy Carter in preparation for the October 28, 1980, debate with Reagan had somehow been acquired by Reagan's team. The briefing papers were never specified to be vital strategy memos or just routine position papers. This leak of campaign papers was not divulged to the public until late June 1983, after Laurence Barrett published Gambling With History: Reagan in the White House, an in-depth account of the Reagan administration's first two years. Certainly there were people who disagreed with Reagan’s policies, but most believed he was a man of integrity; Debategate gave suspicion to whether or not this was true.

Investigation

James Baker swore under oath that he had received the briefing book from William Casey, Reagan's campaign manager, but Casey, then campaign manager, now C.I.A. director, vehemently denied this. Stockman said the documents obtained were just position papers, not in question-and-answer format. Frank Hodsoll, also a member of the debate team, said that they were in Q and A form. The matter was never resolved as both the FBI and a congressional subcommittee failed to determine how or through whom the briefing book came to the Reagan campaign.^[1]

The Justice Department, in closing its investigation, cited "the professed lack of memory or knowledge on the part of those in possession of the documents." Still, it said the contradictions between Reagan aides like Baker and Casey "could be explained by differences in recollection or interpretation."^[2]

Importance

The importance of these documents is still in question. Some believe Reagan, being a stage performer, would have been just fine without these documents and would still have won the debate. At the time this debate took place, Regan was ahead in the polls 43 to 37 with 11 percent undecided. The Stakes were high for this debate especially since Carter had the possibility of an “October surprise”, such the release of the hostages in Iran. This debate was a special opportunity for the members of Reagan’s debate team to shine. They did their work incredibly well so they were rewarded: Baker became White House chief of staff, Gergen is communications director, and Stockman is chief of the Office of Management and Budget.

During a news conference on June 28, 1983, Reagan was hammered with questions concerning the alleged scandal. The president denied having any knowledge about briefing papers his campaign was thought to have attained. House Speaker Tip O’Neill, a staunch liberal from Massachusetts, eventually came to say that even if Carter’s papers had been used for the debate, there would have been no difference in the outcome of the election.

Aftermath

In 2004 and again in 2005, Carter accused columnist George Will of giving the briefing book to the Reagan campaign.^[3] In a 2005 syndicated column, Will called his role in Reagan's debate preparation "inappropriate" but denied any role in stealing the briefing book. As he had done to Carter privately, Will wrote, "My cursory glance at it convinced me that it was a crashing bore and next to useless -- for you [Carter], or for anyone else."^[4] In response to Will's column, Carter wrote a letter to the Washington Post retracting his accusations. Carter apologized to Will for "any incorrect statement that I have ever made about his role in the use of my briefing book.... I have never thought Mr. Will took my book, that the outcome of the debate was damaging to my campaign or that Mr. Will apologized to me."^[5]

In his 2009 campaign examination "Rendezvous with Destiny", Craig Shirley claims that the briefing papers were passed to Casey by Paul Corbin, an aide from Ted Kennedy's failed primary campaign. According to the book, the Kennedy family and campaign workers were embittered by Carter's treatment of Kennedy's challenge in the brutal 1980 Democratic primary, and Corbin stole the papers in revenge. Furthermore, he states that the contents of the briefing book were simply a compilation of Reagan's earlier speeches, and therefore contends that the theft had no effect on the race. Carter, however, continues to blame his defeat on the stolen papers.^[6]

References

1. ^ "Reagan Assures Casey He Can Stay as CIA Chief in New Term?", Washington Post, September 11, 1984.
2. ^ "Campaign Papers Remain a Mystery", New York Times, June 18, 1984.
3. ^ Fresh Air, October 21, 2004; The Alabama Plainsman, July 28, 2005.
4. ^ Will, George F. (August 11, 2005). "Briefing Book Baloney". The Washington Post: p. A23. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/10/AR2005081001796.html. 
5. ^ Carter, Jimmy (August 31, 2005). "Putting an End to the 'Briefing Book Baloney'" (Letter to the Editor). The Washington Post: p. A22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/30/AR2005083001763.html. 
6. ^ Craig Shirley (2009). Rendezvous with Destiny. 

Owens, Jill. "By - Powell's Books." Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://www.powells.com/biblio?PID=27186>.

"Public Papers of the Presidents." National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/publications/presidential-papers.html>.

"New Book Pins 'debategate' on Democrat - Craig Shirley - POLITICO.com." Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com. Politico, 15 Oct. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28317.html>.

External links

• The Eighties Club on Debategate
• New book pins 'debategate' on Democrat