According to my late husband who was originally from Peoria (will it play in Peoria?), and was in a bar in Iowa listening to the debate, this is what lost Nixon. They were asked something like, “President Truman has been criticized for his salty language. What do you think about that?” Nixon said something like, “When I am president I will uphold the honor of the position with the highest standards of, yada yada yada.” Kennedy’s response was, “I think that is Mrs. Truman’s problem.” Kennedy won every vote in the bar with his response.
I never heard that. Too bad Kennedy had to win it with slimy humor.