Students who gathered to watch the presidential debate in Norris University Center’s ground floor Tuesday night showed that the political apathy often attributed to college students doesn’t apply to all of them.
The crowd of more than 100 watched in silence through most of the 90-minute debate. Though students were intensely focused on the television screens in the center’s dining area, moments of levity briefly disrupted the room’s sober complexion.
After Republican candidate George W. Bush made a crack about Democratic candidate Al Gore’s statement that he invented the Internet, the students erupted in laughter. And a round of “ooohs” followed Bush’s statement that “‘the buck stops here’ has moved from the Oval Office to the Lincoln bedroom.”
“This is better than Saturday Night Live,” said Graham Ruby, a Weinberg senior.
Others took the debate more seriously.
“I think it’s important to watch the debate if you’re willing to play by the rules and vote for one of the two party candidates for fear of putting somebody bad into office if you don’t,” said Lucy Bangor, an Education sophomore.
Bangor stared at the TV — mouth opened incredulously — during most of Bush’s statements.
“Bush is clearly avoiding important issues,” she said. “Hopefully people will notice that instead of his cheesy stories.”
Jake Werner, a Weinberg senior, said both candidates were ducking issues important to Americans.
“There are issues that won’t be talked about, like universal health care, reducing the size of a military that is 20 to 30 times as big as all our enemies’ combined, corporate welfare, the fact that we’ve killed one million Iraqis in the last 10 years with sanctions.”
Rachel Lopez, a Weinberg sophomore and Alianza’s Associated Student Government senator, said she thought children were being left out of the debate.
“Most of the debate focused on health care for seniors, which affects only a small portion (of citizens),” Lopez said. “A lot of children have no health care and no facilities to go to. They’re turned away from hospitals because they have no insurance.”
After the candidates were off the air, some students stuck around and argued their own political beliefs.
Howard Lien, a Weinberg sophomore, gestured wildly while explaining to Ezra Church, vice president of campus relations for College Republicans, that a school voucher program would alienate a generation of children. Church, a Weinberg junior, repeatedly struck the table, emphasizing points from his argument that vouchers are the most immediate way to help inner-city students.
A few students stood up after the debate and sold tickets to a speech by Green candidate Ralph Nader scheduled for Tuesday.
“At least one debate should have third party candidates,” Werner said. “If the public doesn’t know who the candidates are, it can’t vote for them.”
Gordon Bailey, a Weinberg junior, said he doesn’t know who he’ll vote for in the election — and he said the debate didn’t help convince him.
“Gore had his technical details down, but Bush was better than I expected,” Bailey said. “I’m disappointed Nader wasn’t present because it would have made the debate more interesting.”
Elliot Fladen, a Weinberg junior, complained that Libertarian candidate Harry Browne wasn’t included in a debate with other third party candidates Nader and Reform candidate Pat Buchanan on CNN’s Larry King Live on Monday.
“Nader and Buchanan riled against the media duopoly that excluded them from the major debates,” Fladen said. “But if they are so into inclusive debates, why not include Browne in theirs?”
Werner added: “I’m still not at all convinced that we have a democracy.”
