Student-lead debate raises issues
A mock presidential debate was held to inform students about running presidential candidates, Republican and current President George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry, Friday morning on the Taggart Student Center Patio.
Representing republicans were students, Mike Robins and Jared Westbroek. Tom Grover and Adam Fulton debated for the Democrats. A six-minute speech by each party was followed by a cross-examination from both sides. Platforms included topics such as the war in Iraq, Healthcare, energy and employment.
Glimpse of the Republicans at the Platform
First on the platform was Robins who said Utah was President George W. Bush’s, “home away from home.”
“Utah and George Bush are closely related in their philosophies,” Robins said.
Robins said those who believe in Bush are those who believe in conservative values, traditional marriage and in an ownership society.
Robins said the Republican Party cares about Utah locals because Vice President Dick Cheney has visited Utah. Robins said President Bill Clinton, a democrat, and Kerry’s Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards never visited Utah.
“John Kerry doesn’t even come to Utah, he doesn’t even care enough about you to present his views face to face,” Robins said.
“Most importantly, he wants you to keep your money,” Robins said about Bush never raising citizens’ taxes because Bush believes in tax cuts to fuel dichotomy, unemployment and education.
Robins said Bush is willing to go out and fight for freedom, liberate people and wants people to invest in their own healthcare plans and extend eligibility under Medicare.
Robins said the tax cuts have helped the country overcome economic recession. In regards to the platform of energy, he said Bush cares about Utah farmers, agriculture and having use over public land.
“Kerry? I don’t know what he does with his time…hanging out at the ketchup factory with his wife?” Robins said.
” know that George W. Bush is sometimes controversial, but George W. Bush is not a ‘flip flopper,’ you will always know what George W. Bush stands [for].” Robins said.
“Who would you rather lead you? A rancher from Texas who has a long political family and charismatic leadership style or do you want the guy who believes in abortion, and from Massachusetts where they legalize gay marriage?”
“If you’re from Utah and you have values, George Bush is your President,” Robins said in his concluding his six minutes.
In cross-examination Robins was asked by the democrats to describe Bush’s stance on Osama Bin Laden.
“President Bush’s stance on Osama Bin Laden is to use our resources to go find him, and when we find him, I’d sure be happy to cut his head off,” Robins said in response for Bush.
Robins admitted Vice President Dick Cheney came to Utah to support Congressman hopeful John Swallow’s campaign and not necessarily to support Utah citizens.
Robins could not answer if Americans have gained or lost more health care in the past years.
Glimpse of Democrats at the Platform
“This world’s second largest oil reserve is in Iraq. Our economy is completely dependent on oil. We were told that we went into Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction, so we ask ourselves are there really weapons of mass destruction? It seems like president Bush doesn’t even know,” Grover said.
After 9/11 Bush spoke about Osama Bin Laden; “He said, I want justice and there’s no approach unless I recall that says one, dead or alive,” Grover said directly quoting Bush.
“A few months later,” Grover said, “Bush said he didn’t know where Osama was and wasn’t concerned about him.”
“Here’s a man who killed four thousand Americans and we’re not concerned?” Grover said. “We need a president who is concerned and John Kerry shows this through his policies and through his actions as an actual war hero that he would fight for the United States of America.”
“Call me crazy but when you liberate someone they don’t generally react by shooting RPG’s [rocket pellet grenades] back at you,” Grover said in response to the argument of Bush liberating people.
“Right now the people of Iraq are worst off than when we went in,” Grover said, “it is because the people don’t have electricity, water, they don’t have food and they don’t have security.”
Grover said the people of Iraq are fighting Americans because they feel they are desperately finding ways to survive their way of life, “if somebody comes up to you and says, ‘hey if you’ll take out some Americans, we’ll pay you and we’ll take care of your family’, you wouldn’t have any other alternative,” Grover said.
“That’s the position we put them in, as we take away basic needs and basic rights,” Grover said.
In the cross-examination the Republicans asked about John Kerry’s view on the existence of weapons of mass destruction and if Kerry’s intelligence committee would have equal access to same amount of intelligence as that of Bush.
Grover said Kerry trusted the President like most Americans and is unaware of the amount of intelligence accessible. In the Iraq war, Kerry would have kept support from an international community, such as lines with Europe in the Iraq war, Grover said.
-doantn@cc.usu.edu