I am told he didn't look good, while Kennedy was...well...golden-boy Kennedy. Nixon was crushed in the election.

I saw that debate. Nixon had his usual scowl, enhanced by the 5 o’clock shadow he famously refused to cover with makeup. There’s a well known factoid about it: those who saw the debate on TV thought Kennedy won, and by a large margin. As TV was less prevalent in those days a lot of people listened on the radio, and (again) by a margin thought Nixon mopped the floor with him.

Pictures are important.

Harris-Trump debate. She would mop the floor with him .

I’m not so sure. Donald is also telegenic, and it clearly doesn’t matter what he says; he’s as much a word salad chef as Sarah Palin or the others. You’re being wrapped up in “what the logical arguments are” and that’s not how these televised debates are measured by the viewers. Remember that “Hee Haw” got better ratings than “Laugh-In” outside the most cosmopolitan areas, if you need a measuring device.