Thursday night President George W. Bush will face off against Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) in Miami for the first of three presidential debates. Citizens across the country and across party lines will be tuning in, as will some AU students who are having "debate parties," though others plan to ignore the event.
"These debates will show what direction the candidates will lead us," said Adam Stubits, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, who has been following election debates since he attended high school in New Jersey. "I just think it's good to be informed."
Stubits has decided to vote for Bush, but wants to watch the debates. He said he thinks it is unfortunate that many people are still uninformed after elections because of the emphasis on a candidate's character, talking points and personal jabs to opponents.
However, senior Viont? Hayes, is debating herself whether she will even watch the debates because of her dislike for the current campaigns and both presidential candidates.
She says if anything, she will watch the first hour instead of the whole thing. But she hopes that the candidates will discuss "real issues" that affect the American people. She also feels that candidates will manipulate the media to their advantage.
Junior Brandon Harris also said he is undecided about watching the debate.
"I would watch the debate as long as it doesn't conflict with school work," Harris said.
Some student organizations will be hosting their own debate parties that will allow students to come together to cheer or commiserate. The College Democrats, College Republicans and Students for Israel will co-sponsor an event in Ward One around the debate's start at 9 p.m.
"Hoping and expecting a Bush win," College Republican President Mike Inganamort said of his expectations. "There is a big advantage for President Bush going into the debate. He knows exactly where he stands on the issues and Kerry, unfortunately, is all over the map. For once, he needs to clearly state his position on Iraq, the economy and the War on Terrorism or he might just use this debate to come up with new positions on issues."
However, other students have different expectations.
"I feel that Kerry will crush Bush since he's been debating since college," said Jon Dawood, president of AU Students for Kerry. "In fact he is one of the best debaters in politics ... the best right now."
Students for Kerry will hold a debate party tomorrow night in McDowell Formal Lounge at 9 p.m.
Dawood believes that as long as Kerry's message is clear, he will win the debate as well as sway voters toward his side even though recent polls place Bush in the lead. In a Sept. 16-19 poll, Bush-Cheney won 53 percent and Kerry-Edwards won 43 percent of favor from likely voters.
On Tenley Campus however, students will not only watch the debate in the Tenley Campus Caf?, they will also hold a mock presidential election to see whether Bush or Kerry will win. The results of the Tenely campus will then be announced before the debate begins, according to Karen Brockington, advisor to the Washington Semester Student Association.
Brockington says that she expects about 200 students or more to come to the event and hopes that the debate will help students to make up their minds about which candidate to vote for. Currently, the fall 2004 Washington Semester includes nearly 500 students from 45 states and 18 countries who are studying American politics and foreign policy.
"Everyone wants to be a politician ... or everyone's a political junkie," said Tyronne Walker about why he wanted to spearhead the event that would appeal to the students in the Washington Program.
Walker, who is part of the association, is expecting something new from this election, as he says, he will expect the usual from Bush but thinks that Kerry will pull out some punches.
"Today's debates don't have anything to do with platforms or policies," Walker said. "You're looking for that person who will give that little something that sets them apart."
For many students, Thursday night's debate will give them the opportunity to root for their favorite candidate, bash the other, or decide which platform and personality they will vote for in November (or October, for those sending in absentee ballots).
Cleveland will host the vice presidential debate Oct. 5, to be followed by the other presidential debates Oct. 8 in St. Louis and Oct. 13 in Tempe, Ariz.
Debates have contributed to the decisions of the American people in every presidential campaign since 1960, with the exception of the 1968 and 1972 elections.
Check www.TheEagleOnline.com for analysis after the debate Thursday night.
