Students come out for VP debate

Most students watching in Frist appeared to be in favor of the Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

“We’re college students. We lean left,” College Democrats vice president Scott Weingart ’09 said after the debate. “I’m not surprised that the room was full of Obama and Democratic partisans,” he added. The College Democrats set up a table to hand out Obama pins and passed around a sign-up list for their group.

Palin, running mate of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has come under fire recently for what critics perceive to be political inexperience and lacking knowledge of foreign affairs.

A number of students were expecting to see her outmatched by Biden.

“Generally, I’m a little surprised that Palin isn’t being a little more demolished,” said Lisa Carmona ’11, an independent-turned-Obama supporter. “Everyone’s watching this expecting it to be a laugh-fest,” she said.

“She hasn’t messed up nearly as much as we were hoping,” Obama supporter Francisco Unger ’12 said. “In two days the Republicans have managed to teach her how to speak.”

Sam Norton ’12, a McCain supporter, said he believes that Palin exceeded expectations. “She stepped up to the plate,” he said.

“There wasn’t anything particularly disastrous,” Weingart said. “But for a vice president, I have much higher expectations than merely not blowing up in a debate.”

“I expect a candidate who’s qualified to be president,” he added.

While the College Republicans did not have a visible presence at Frist, McCain supporters were in attendance, albeit in small numbers.

College Republicans president Andrew Malcolm ’09 was also impressed by Palin.

“I was absolutely blown away by Sarah Palin’s performance,” he said in an interview after the debate. “She did an awesome job.”

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Malcolm said that he was pleased that “this debate focused on the issues that are important to the American people,” noting his objection to the “gotcha journalism” of recent televised interviews.

“I think Sarah Palin was a better representative for John McCain than any of us [College Republicans] could have hoped to have been,” he said, explaining why the College Republicans had not set up a table in Frist.

Norton acknowledged the Democratic leanings of the debate attendees but did not attribute their enthusiasm to Biden’s place on the ticket.

“I don’t think anybody feels particularly passionate about Biden,” he said. “Biden was a stand-in for Obama.”