Shambhu Sharan
Issue date: 10/24/08
A mock presidential debate took place two weeks before the U.S. Presidential election. The speech department assembled a group of students from current and past speech courses to share both the Republican and Democratic views the presidential candidates hold regarding the most pressing issues.
After the debate, the audience had the opportunity to vote for the candidate of its choice. The results were announced to the college. Barrack Obama received 95 votes, John McCain 25 and Bob Barr 1.
The moderator of the debate, speech professor Mark Burks, asked each debate team six questions. Each team had two members with assigned to answer a question.
Each team answered the same questions.
Professor Courtney Carter introduced the Republican Party debaters, Courtney Long and Adam Harris, as well as the Democratic Party debaters, Euphy Edoghotu and Cheikh Sylla.
A member from each team stepped to the podium, and Burk asked the Republican team the first question.
“The defeat of Al Queda and the Iraqi government must be safe and secure from the surrounding enemies before troops should be back,” Republican debater Harris said. “Our troops should come back home with honor, not with defeat. Once everyone is out, there will be chaos.”
Responding to the same questions Sylla said, “the Iraq war was mismanaged and there must be a time limit for leaving Iraq. Obama recognizes that most of our enemies are not based in Iraq; they are based in Afghanistan. Al Qaida was never based in Iraq and it was a big mistake to send troops to Iraq. McCain’s foreign policy of Iraq is wrong.”
Presidential candidates’ views on becoming a more “green” and/ or “eco-friendly” American society were different.
Another Democratic member, Edoghotu, said
Obama wants to create a power plan and green industries through greenhouse technology. He wants to reduce eight percent greenhouse emissions by 2050. “If we don’t have alternative fuels we are not going to deal with crisis.”
Long responded that McCain realizes the need for efficient energy, solar energy, wind power and natural gases. “He encouraged a zero carbon emission program to auto industries. He wants to give $2 billion for research and clean coal where Obama wants to give $150 billion, which is a lot of money. It has to come from someone’s pocket; it will come from our pockets.”
The last issue was education. Edoghotu said Obama wants to give $4,000 grants to students that they would not have to pay back. He proposes lower taxes on loans.
Long said, “McCain wants to improve the education system, McCain wants to implement the No Child Left Behind policy. He has been working tirelessly to improve the global economy by educating America today.”
History major student Chase Cornwell decided not to vote because he believes there is too much corruption.
“Most of the politicians and candidates are wealthy and they have not brought change for us,” Cornwell said. “As a college student, I need financial aid which I don’t get. We have to get loan and pay it back. Someone is giving money for the elections which are waste.”
A science major student Elizabeth Martinez liked the debate and decided to vote for Obama.
“I enjoyed the debate,” Martinez said. ” I liked Obama’s immigration, education and health care policies. I changed my vote from McCain to Obama after the debate.”
Education major student Nancy Quinones was undecided.
“I really enjoyed the debate; however I am still undecided,” Quinones said. “I think both sides should have had more questions to answer.”
The professors have different views about the presidential election candidates. Speech professor Carter decided to vote for the democratic candidate, Senator Obama.
“Being a woman and African American, I would like to see change,” Carter said. ” The democrats definitely pay a lot of attention to the middle class and ethnic minorities. Our nation is definitely suffering. I definitely support our troops and I am concerned about American society and the economy.”
An other speech professor, Mary Forrest, voted conservative for 30 years and decided to vote for Senator McCain. Forrest has opposite views.
“I am going to vote for Senator McCain,” Forrest said. “He was in Vietnam and was a man of courage and he will be the best president. I don’t believe in the socialist system, I believe in the capitalist system. I am not willing to take money from those who worked hard. Although Obama has great charisma and he is a great communicator, it bothers me why he wants to talk to those who are our enemies. I am afraid if Obama would be president there might be another war like the Vietnam War. “
The debate was organized to educate and inform people about the different issues of the presidential candidates.
“The purpose was for our students here at Eastfield College to hear the positions of the candidates on various issues in order to assist them in making informed choices at the poll,” speech professor Laura Carr said, “This was an opportunity for our student body to practice citizenship. It was an opportunity for not only the students to come together but also the faculty, staff and administrators to meet as a community and learn about the issues and positions of the presidential candidates.”
Business major Mohamed Jabati timed the debate responses. Each debate team member had three minutes to respond to a question. He was holding up a yellow card to let the speaker know that they had reached two minutes and 30 seconds. When he held up the red card, the members completed their sentences before returning to their seats.
The debate was open to all students, faculty, staff and administrators. “Four years ago, at the last presidential debate, we had a full house, 250 people. This year 250 people attended,” Carr said. The presidential debate was on Monday, October 20 at 12:00 p.m. in C-135.
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