While the real presidential candidates may have debated some 24 hours ago and 1,100 miles away, Boston College's very own faced off in similar discourse to stimulate political awareness on campus. With Josh Darr, A&S '09, as Sen. Barack Obama (D.-Ill.), and Michael Reer, A&S '09, as Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.), the debate drew a crowd of about 100 students of various political affiliations.
The Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC) sponsored the event, organized by Kristoffer Munden, A&S '11, and Christina Pierro, A&S '10, the UGBC co-directors of political action. Moderated by David Deese, professor of political science, the event also included a voter registration table to encourage students to take up their civic responsibility. Topics of debate ranged from foreign policy and the economy to education and Supreme Court nominations.
Starting off the night with questions on foreign policy, Darr and Reer attempted to emulate and espouse the platforms and visions of their respective candidates. The founder of BC Students for Barack Obama and proverbial "Obama guru" on campus, Darr iterated that he (Obama) had been opposed to the Iraq war from the beginning. "We can make the situation better with a phased withdrawal of troops and their relocation to Afghanistan." By adhering to a regular timeline, he said, Obama would stop the "blank check" policy currently supplying numerous resources to the region. "I would help train Iraqi forces and keep political pressure on the Iraqi government to achieve stability so we can fight the real terrorists in Afghanistan," he said.
Reer, president of the College Republicans, said McCain was also in favor of training Iraqi troops, but wanted to heed the advice of U.S. military advisers overseas for executing a withdrawal. "When the commanders on the ground tell us it's time to go, it'll be time to go," he said. To clarify the notion of the "blank check" policy, Reer countered that it is not and was never the goal of the Republican Party to stay in Iraq indefinitely. "Our military advisers have the best idea of when we will be done, not the politicians who are not present there," he said.
Regarding U.S. leadership abroad and its place on the international stage, Reer wanted to align U.S. interests with those of other nations, and concede a shared form of leadership in appropriate instances. "We don't have to be the leader all the time," he said.
Darr said we need to "lead with our values, not just our military." To achieve global unity, we need to lead with what is good about America, he said. "By moving forward with the best of our country, we can be strong and respected."
Both students were then asked what steps they would take toward correcting the ailing economy, clearly a pressing issue as many Americans face financial hardship. Reer advocated raising the FDIC limit, reforming Washington, and looking into more research and development for U.S.-based businesses. "When you raise the FDIC limit to $600,000 or more, you eliminate the likelihood that people with huge bank accounts, who could really pull the banks under, would withdraw their savings." Without the strengthening of this safety net, there would be more impetus for a run on the bank, he said.
Darr said Obama would treat taxpayers like investors, cutting taxes for 95 percent of Americans - or those who make less than $250,000 per year. "The trickle-down effect does not work," he said. "Prosperity comes from the middle class."
Reer questioned Obama's tax plan as it applies to American corporations, including traditionally blue collar industries like steel, trucking, transport, which he claimed would experience "huge corporate taxation, possibly leading to the need to move overseas."
Darr explained that he wanted to incentivize keeping jobs in America by cutting taxes and "rebalancing the corporate mindset."
Students then addressed the social issue of abortion, with Darr placing emphasis on the need to reduce the number of abortions and Reer pushing for states to determine the status of abortion rights.
This is the first time that a reduction in abortion numbers has been explicit on the Democratic platform, Darr said, an improvement in his opinion over past platforms. "I will defend Roe v. Wade, but I will also look to increase aid to women, young mothers, and grant tax credits for adoptions," he said. "To make a culture of life possible, we need to start first with favorable economic conditions."
Reer noted that over 25 percent of all pregnancies end in abortion - adding what he called a "real human element" to the argument. "Making them legal does not make the numbers go down," he said. "We need to let the states, the people decide."
In terms of what McCain and Obama would look for in Supreme Court nominees, Darr said that respect for the Constitution and its balance of power was first and foremost. "We have seen a misuse of power by the executive branch that cannot continue," he said. "The role of the Court is to stick up for the rights of the marginalized. They need to do a better job of that."
Reer said that McCain valued those who were Federalists, strict constructionists, and humbled by the prospect of being on the bench. "The federal government cannot run all by itself. We have lost the local aspect," he said. Our democracy works well at the national level because it works at the local level."
Darr argued that the text of the Constitution is necessarily meant to be interpreted, but Reer countered that when we "tread on a document, we do it a disservice."
Shifting the focus to education, Darr and Reer addressed how their respective candidates would balance the education expenditures against a failing economy and a demanding military. "Our education budget is half of what we spend in Iraq," Darr said. "We need to start looking at education as an investment in our future. For every $1 invested in early education, we can expect a $10 return."
Reer said McCain asks more from the people currently in the education field and encourages others to enter it. He advocated in favor of a modified voucher program, allowing students dissatisfied with their public school education to take the federal funding allotted to them elsewhere. "We need to put pressure on teachers that if they don't do their job well, they could lose funding and lose their jobs."
Both students said their candidates favored expansion of programs like Teach for America, and Darr specifically cited Obama's plan to offer a $5,000 tax credit to recent graduates for doing service outside of college.
The cost of higher education also came into the debate, with Reer calling for the shoring up of financial institutions to stabilize the availability of student loans. Darr agreed that the disappearance of student loans would devastate those looking for an education or graduate degree.
Those who organized the debate hoped that it would be enlightening and informative for students in attendance. "We want to get students involved in the [voting] process more," Pierro said. "We can't attend a debate, although we can campaign, but this provides a more neutral position."
"College students would be more apt to listen to a peer rather than to a stump speech," Munden said.
While the crowd included students of both Republican and Democrat affiliations, exit poll results showed the Republicans to have a slightly stronger showing. Although not all students in attendance completed the exit survey, 41 supported Obama before the debate, while 49 percent supported McCain, and 10 percent were undecided. After the debate, 33 percent supported Obama, compared to 57 percent for McCain, and 10 percent still undecided. Ninety-five percent said the debate was informative.
Darr said the positive response bode well for the student political movement. "It was improvisational and informative - exactly what we had hoped," he said.
While the exit poll showed that three-quarters of those in attendance believed Reer "won" the debate, he said he wasn't interesting in out-competing Darr, but in getting those who attended to think outside the box. "We wanted merely to get people to think beyond the constrictions of Democrat versus Republican and consider the issues," he said. "Our democratic process does not work if you always vote for one party. If tonight we just got people to think about the issues themselves, then we did our job."
David Kete contributed to this report
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