The University News

Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Patrick Binder Andy Daniels and Tyler Thompson represented the College Democrats at the debate.

What was supposed to be a debate about America's next president between the College Democrats and the College Republicans seemed to become more like a College Democrats press conference.

Though they previously confirmed, according to Arts and Sciences (A&S) Student Council President Klassie Alcine, the College Republicans did not attend the debate.

The debate was part of the A&S Student Council forums and was held last Wednesday night in the Administrative Center's Brookside Room.

Alcine, political science and criminal justice major, moderated the forum. College Democrats campaign director Tyler Thompson, senior, political science, along with fellow democrat Andy Daniels, sophomore, computer science, were the speakers.

The debate covered topics such as a national healthcare system, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama's inner-party fighting and Sen. John McCain's new economic plan.

"He's still in the race, he's still running, he still has a chance," Thompson said of McCain. "But, if you look at the policies, he's endorsed remaining in Iraq for 100 years [and] of maintaining Bush's tax cuts. I think Americans will realize he doesn't represent their best interests."

According to Thompson, many Americans, Democrat and Republican, don't agree with McCain's positions. Daniels said this may hurt the general election a bit, but less in the long run.

"The fact is that there are only two running," Daniels said. "If you are really a Republican, then just because John McCain is trying to appear or appeal to a group of moderates, you are not just going to vote for a Democrat."

Both Thompson and Daniels believe Republicans seem a little torn with their nominee because some view McCain as a right-winged liberal. But, they said, the Democrats also seemed torn because of the fighting between Sens. Clinton and Obama.

"I don't think it is helping the party, but I don't think it is hurting the party necessarily," Thompson said. "Some of these are issues that would have come up during the general election campaign. And when one of our candidates raises them against one of our other candidates, we get to hear those issues before the general election. I think it shows that in a democracy, we can have a diversity of views. And in our party, we have a diversity of views on many issues."

Daniels described the inner-party arguing as a roller coaster that may be making some in the party sick.

"I'm happy to support whoever our nominee is," Thompson said. "We have a lot of issues to run on, and the Republicans have a big red label attached to them, and it's called their record. Their record overlaps eight years, and I don't think it is going to help them."

Daniels also said he would support either nominee, and sees a Democrat winning the 2008 Presidential Election either way.

"Who do I think is going to win? I think Obama is going to win," Daniels said. "Anybody who watched one debate or knows anything about it is going to realize that some of the things [McCain] is proposing aren't going to help us in our situation now. I don't think it's going to fly, I don't think he is going to fly. … If it were McClain, Clinton, I still think the same thing."

ebrogdon@unews.com

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