Saint Mary's performs mock presidential debate
By Katie Miller
News Writer
Presidential candidates George W. Bush, Al Gore and Ralph Nader were represented in a debate sponsored by Student Academic Council and the Political Science Club Tuesday night in LeMans Hall's Stapleton Lounge. Colleen McCarthy and Michelle Nagle spoke for the Democratic Party; Christina Phillips and Holly James the Republican Party; and Katie Poynter and Maureen Capillo the Green Party.
A panel of five professors, Marc Belanger, David Stefancic, Susan Vance, Patrick Pierce, and Marie Doyle, took turns asking the candidates questions which were responded to in a rotating order.
The first question was environmentally related: Bill Clinton is setting aside Alaska, but George W. Bush wants to drill for oil. The republicans responded first and the democrats countered the republicans statement.
"We need to protect the environment for generations to come. We must protect our land from exploitation. Instead of taking our resources, we need to use what we already have," said Nagle.
Cheney voted against drilling for oil in Wyoming, his home state, said McCarthy.
According to Poynter and Capillo, the Green party does not see drilling in Alaska as a solution to the energy crisis. They emphasized the importance in working with what we have. The republicans also rebutted.
The next question dealt with tax surplus.
"Under the Clinton/Gore administration, 22 million new jobs were created. We believe it is in the best interests to eliminate the national debt, promote economic growth, save Medicare and social security. We want to give tax cuts to working families and increase health insurance," said Nagle and McCarthy.
"Both republicans and democrats will tell you that there will be a large tax surplus- there is no surplus. Our bridges, roads, hospitals, and schools need repairs. If there is a surplus, fix those," said Poynter.
The republicans disagreed with this.
"I believe families should be allowed to spend their money, we should allow families to receive tax cuts across the board," said Phillips.
Next, the candidates debated the use of educational vouchers.
"The vouchers take money from public schools and give to private schools. Inner city schools suffer because education funding comes from local taxes. All children deserve a good education," said Capillo.
The republicans favor the voucher system.
"It will make public schools compete with private. If schools cannot use their money wisely, we can give the option to send children to other schools," said Phillips and James.
The democrats oppose the use of vouchers.
"Draining public schools of funding where its needed the most is not effective. We need to target schools that are failing. We need to invest in schools instead of giving up," said Nagle and McCarthy.
Issues facing foreign policy were debated. Stefancic asked, "What is nation building, and should we be involved?"
"We have an obligation to other nations. We encourage democracy. Foreign engagement and a prudent increase in military spending are crucial to promote world prosperity," said Nagle and McCarthy.
"We should work with other nations to achieve this. It is not something the U.S. should dictate on its own," said Poynter and Capillo.
The conclusive question dealt with the ongoing welfare reform.
"With the first wave of welfare reform completed, how should the federal government take the next step, what should states be relied on for?" asked Pierce.
The democrats want welfare to be inclusive.
The Green Party offered a different perspective into reducing the number of Americans on welfare.
The republicans attributed the need for welfare to a lack of skills and the green party rebutted their statement.
With the conclusion of the panels questions, each party gave a final statement.
According to the green party, half of all voters to dont vote. The participation of the green party gives voters a third option when voting.
The republicans expressed their interest in partisanship and accomplishing all of their goals.
Gore's experience in the capital, belief in a womans right to choose, campaign finance reform, and the balancing of the budget were reasons the democrats felt they deserved the vote.
The candidates then answered questions from the audience.
They dealt with issues surrounding gay marriages, effectiveness of voucher system, and the participation of Americas youth at the voting polls.
The mock republican and democratic candidates participated in the debate as part of the political science club.
The green party representatives were from peacemakers. Participating students found the debates challenging, yet enjoyed the chance to inform their fellow students of the various parties platforms.
"It was really exciting and intimidating," said James. "It was a heavy responsibility especially since some of the people here tonight were not very informed about the candidates."
"We hope we made an impact," said Phillips. "It's hard because some people are very informed on some issues and not at all on others."
Representatives from the green party enjoyed offering a third option to voters.
"I feel safe in saying its happening on the local level. Nader starts on the bottom level and works his way up, instead of the opposite," said Capillo.
All News Stories for Wednesday, October 25, 2000
