Students watch Biden, Palin clash in VP debate
Nicole Smithson
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: News
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Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, the Democratic nominee, has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1972 and is admittedly practiced at debating opponents.
Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee, was elected to office of Governor of Alaska in 2006. She has also faced some concerns from party supporters due to her "questionable knowledge of national and global issues," stated in an article from The Guardian critiquing the candidates abilities.
However, Palin had been practicing her debate strategies for several days prior to the meeting with top aides from the McCain campaign while at McCain's Arizona ranch.
The Political Science Club invited campus political organizations from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party to the watch.
Carrie Smith, President of the UM-D Political Science Club, stated that the club invited members from both political parties because they "wanted to have both sides present…the club is non-partisan."
Students were also able to register to vote at the event. A handful of students registered by the end of the debate, and more than 15 students signed up to help with the Obama campaign.
Josh Arsenault, treasurer of the Political Science Club, said the turnout was very high, possibly near 80 or more students.
Before the televised debate, students present had varying opinions about the presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Melissa Hill, a junior majoring in Urban and Regional Studies was knitting during the debate.
"I had to bring something to do, I would probably get too upset about the debate otherwise," she said.
Travis Greer, a sophomore majoring in Political Science was "leaning more toward Obama than McCain."
Greer attended the event with Megan Ludke, a junior majoring in Biology. Ludke said she "was a McCain supporter until Travis told me about Obama, now I am trying to decide who I want to vote for."
Nick Hastings, a freshman majoring in Biology also attended the debate. "When I watch debates, I usually have a very different opinion from the people around me. I tend to get vocal. I support McCain, but I am afraid of saying something I will regret around so many Obama supporters," Hastings said.
John McDowell and his sister, Katelyn McDowell, both freshmen majoring in Psychology were in attendance as well. Katelyn said she was there because she was "just interested…I have been watching the debates and want to see how this debate turns out tonight."
The debate took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and was moderated by Gwen Ifill, of "The NewsHour" and "Washington Week" on PBS.
Ifill introduced the debate by saying the discussion would "cover a wide range of topics, including domestic and foreign policy matters." Each candidate had 90 seconds to answer a direct question, followed by two minutes for rebuttal and follow-up. A coin toss determined the order in which the candidates would answer the questions.
Listed below are some of the questions.
The first question was directed to Biden, with a follow-up from Palin.
The first question asked by Ifill concerned the bill that was recently passed by Congress dealing with the $700 billion economic bailout. Ifill asked, "as America watches these things happen on Capitol Hill, Senator Biden, was this the worst of Washington or the best of Washington that we saw play out?"
Biden responded with, "I think it's neither the best or worst of Washington, but it's evidence of the fact that the economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we've ever had. As a consequence, you've seen what's happened on Wall Street." Biden then went on to substantiate his answer.
Palin responded with, "I think a good barometer here…is go to a kid's soccer game on Saturday, and turn to any parent there on the sideline and ask them, 'How are you feeling about the economy?'"
"The barometer there, I think, is going to be resounding that our economy is hurting and the federal government has not provided the sound oversight that we need and that we deserve."
Another one of Ifill's questions was about the subprime lending meltdown, she asked, "Who do you think was at fault? I start with you, Governor Palin. Was it the greedy lenders? Was it the risky homebuyers who shouldn't have been buying a home in the first place? And what should you be doing about it?"
Palin: "Darn right it was the predator lenders, who tried to talk Americans into thinking that it was smart to buy a $300,000 house if we could only afford a $100,000 house...We need to make sure that we demand from the federal government strict oversight of those entities in charge of our investments and our savings and not get ourselves into debt...We have an opportunity to learn a heck of a lot of good lessons through this and say never again will we be taken advantage of."
Biden: "Well, Gwen, two years ago Obama warned about the subprime mortgage crisis. McCain said shortly after that in December he was surprised there was a subprime mortgage problem. McCain's answer was that tried and true Republican response, 'deregulate, deregulate'."
Ifill's next question was about taxes. "Senator Biden, you proposed raising taxes on people who earn over $250,000 a year. The question for you is, why is that not class warfare, and the same question for you Governor Palin, is you have proposed a tax employer health benefits which some studies say would actually throw five million more people onto the roles of the uninsured. I want to know why that isn't taking things out on the poor," asked Ifill.
Biden: "The middle class is struggling. The middle class under McCain's tax proposal, 100 million families, middle class families, households to be precise, they got not a single change, they got not a single break in taxes. No one making less than $250,000 under Obama's plan will see one single penny of their tax."
Palin: "I do take issue with some of…that redistribution of wealth principle that seems to be espoused by you. But when you talk about Barack's plan to tax increase affecting only those making $250,000 a year or more, you're forgetting millions of small businesses that are going to fit into that category."
The next set of questioning began with Senator Biden. Ifill asked, "Do you support, as they do in Alaska, granting same-sex benefits to couples?"
Biden: "Absolutely. Do I support granting same-sex benefits? Absolutely positively. Look, in an Obama-Biden administration, there will be absolutely no distinction from a constitutional standpoint or a legal standpoint between a same-sex and a heterosexual couple."
Palin: "Well, not if it goes closer and closer toward redefining the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman. And unfortunately that's sometimes where those steps lead."
Next, Ifill asked about the candidates' plans for exit strategies regarding the U.S. troops in Iraq.
Palin: "I am very thankful that we do have a good plan and the surge and the counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq that has proven to work… And with the surge that has worked we're now down to presurge numbers in Iraq…We can start putting more troops in…It would be a travesty if we quit now in Iraq."
Biden: "Barack Obama offered a clear plan. Shift responsibility to Iraqis over the next 16 months. Draw down our combat troops. Ironically the same plan that Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq and George Bush are now negotiating."
One of the next questions asked "How would a Biden administration be different from an Obama administration, if the worst were to happen?"
Biden: "I would carry out Barack Obama's policy, his policies of reinstating the middle class, making sure they get a fair break, making sure they have access to affordable health insurance, making sure they get serious tax breaks, making sure we can help their children get to college, making sure there is an energy policy that leads us in the direction of not only toward independence and clean environment but an energy policy that creates 5 million new jobs, a foreign policy that ends this war in Iraq."
Palin: "As for disagreeing with John McCain and how our administration would work, what do you expect? A team of mavericks, of course we're not going to agree on 100 percent of everything. As we discuss ANWR there, at least we can agree to disagree on that one."
Ifill then asked the candidates about their weaknesses. Ifill told Palin "conventional wisdom states your Achilles heel is that you lack experience." She stated to Biden that "conventional wisdom against you is that your Achilles heel is that you lack discipline. What is it really for you, Governor Palin? What is it really for you, Senator Biden?"
Palin: "My experience as an executive will be put to good use as a mayor and business owner and oil and gas regulator and then as governor of a huge state, a huge energy producing state that is accounting for much progress towards getting our nation energy independence and that's extremely important."
Biden: "Others talk about my excessive passion. I'm not going to change. I have 35 years in public office. People can judge who I am. I haven't changed in that time."
Ifill's final question of the night was "Can you think of a single issue, policy issue, in which you were forced to change a long-held view in order to accommodate changed circumstances?"
Biden: " Yes, I can. When I got to the United States Senate…I was of the view and had been trained in the view that the only thing that mattered was whether or not a nominee appointed…had a judicial temperament, had not committed a crime of moral turpitude, and…had been a good student."
"…It took about five years for me to realize that the ideology of that judge makes a big difference."
Palin: "There have been times where, as mayor and governor, we have passed budgets that I did not veto and that I think could be considered as something that I quasi-caved in, if you will."
The candidates then gave their closing statements, ending the vice presidential candidate debate for Senator Biden and Governor Palin.
The next presidential debate, which will be in a town hall format with questions from the audience, will take place tonight at 9 p.m. The final debate will be on Wednesday, Oct. 15 and will focus on domestic policy issues. A full video of the vice presidential debate is available on Youtube.com and a full transcript is available on CNN.com.
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