Presidential Debate

Kwasa Mathis

Presidential Debate

Word Count: 522

Edited by: Tiffani Haynes

 

            The first presidential debate of the year between the two running mates occurred Friday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m.  Yet, before the debate even aired there was controversy.  Republican nominee, John McCain wanted to hold off on the debate to discuss the bailout for Wall Street.  The scheduled topics for the debate were foreign policy and the economy.

            While Democratic nominee Barack Obama expressed that McCain would pick up where Bush left off, McCain played on Obama’s lack of experience in Washington.  Most people who watched the debate could not say for certain who won. Twenty-one-year-old Malcolm King, an English arts major was unsure if McCain was prepared for the debate.

 “McCain would be a little less prepared than he was, but he had a lot of information and statistics,” King said. 

He also mentioned that he was impressed by Obama he was “brilliant because he never lost his cool,” even when McCain talked about his inexperience.  After the debate, King felt that Obama won but admitted that the Republican had presented himself well.

 “McCain had many opportunities to show his side,” King said.

            Ayanna Dean, a 21-year-old criminology/criminal justice major at the University of Maryland in College Park, didn’t even think that there would be a debate with McCain trying to delay the meeting. 

“I really wanted him not to show up, but he knew he couldn’t do that,” Dean said.

  She went on to say that there were so many people who paid good money to see the two candidates square off and he might have lost supporters if he didn’t show.

            Some people who are avid Obama supporters felt a sense of respect for McCain after the debate, but this came with a lack of respect also. 

“McCain held his own and used his age as an advantage rather than a disadvantage,”  said twenty-three-year-old Margel Overton, a jazz piano performance major at the University of the Arts.

Overton went on to say that McCain had some good points about foreign policy, but he is “out of touch with American citizens,” while Obama comes across as, “caring for the real people of America.”

            Both Dean and Overton felt that McCain should have chosen another running mate for his vice president because Gov. Sarah Palin was not the best candidate for the position.  Dean refers to the fact that Bush made a law against teaching sexual education in school and Palin’s teenage daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. 

 “If Obama’s daughter was pregnant, he would be disqualified from being voted in as the President of the United States,” Dean said.

            According to the Associated Press, shortly after the debate there was a draw, but other polls suggested that Obama won the debate.  Regardless of the polls, both candidates faired well in the debate against one another.  If people were using this debate to decide on their candidate, they may have to watch more than just one to make up their minds.  Many thought that McCain would come unprepared, but this was simply not the case. The vice presidential debates with Sarah Palin and Joe Biden are next on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Presidential Debate

Michele Byrd

Hampton students weigh in on debate

Word Count: 472

Edited by: Tiffani Haynes

The first presidential debate of 2008 was held in Oxford, Miss. Friday, Sept. 26 between contenders Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. As many college students at Hampton University got ready to kick off the weekend, a select few settled in the front of the television to watch one of the most anticipated events of this year’s presidential campaign.

“I want to watch because I care about what’s going on,” said Daniel Thomas, a senior engineering major from Chicago.    “I’m voting for Barack, but I want a more well-rounded opinion. I want to be able to defend my decision.”

However, as the days leading up to the debate ticked off the calendar, there was much confusion about whether there would even be a debate. Days before the event was scheduled to take place, McCain suspended his campaign citing the need to return to Washington, D.C. to help with the economic bailout bill making its way through Congress.

“I figured [the debate] was going to happen because McCain’s excuse didn’t have fuel,” said Thomas.

Junior broadcast journalism major Joyce Farley agreed.

“It’s not so much that I didn’t think it was going to happen. I didn’t believe in McCain’s antics,” said the Hackensack, NJ native.

 Andrea Thornton, a senior marketing major from Atlanta, said she needed to hear McCain talk more about his role in economics.

“I want him to account for his recent activity,” Thornton said. “I want him to tell me why this $700 billion bailout is so necessary.”

Despite rumors and questions about the looming debate, both candidates showed up Friday for the big night. Although the debate was supposed to be centered on foreign policy, candidates sparred over economics for the first 30 minutes of the hour and a half debate. McCain criticized Obama as a candidate who “doesn’t understand” many of the key issues the country is facing. Obama called the current economic crisis the “final verdict on eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush and John McCain.”

At the end of the night, CNN analysts reported that neither candidate was a clear winner, but the polls told a different story. Obama gained ground in both the CNN poll and the CNN electoral map. Michigan, which was originally projected as a tossup state by CNN, was moved to the “lean Obama” column. Michigan has 17 electoral votes.

“Barack definitely won,” Thomas said. “There were times when McCain bashed. I didn’t appreciate that. I wasn’t looking for that.”

Farley agreed.

 “Obama did win. McCain’s points weren’t strong enough,” she said. “He hurt himself when he started cutting Obama off or the host off.”

Yet, Thomas said he had expected more from the contest.

“I want more details from both candidates,” he said. “I want specifics.”

The next presidential debate is scheduled for Oct. 7 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.