Classroom Publication

Media Credit: Joel DiTata Raffensperger, Ramson, and Parkhurst after the debate.

“There is no way in hell I would ever have Sarah Palin as my Vice President!”  proclaimed Scott Raffensperger, a University at Albany sophomore.

Like many students, Scott showed favoritism towards the Democratic Party and is a registered Democrat.  Throughout the debate Raffensperger, James Ramson, and Aaron Parkhurst consistently agreed with Senator Barack Obama and consistently disagreed with Senator John McCain.

For the next hour and a half Bob Schieffer from CBS News moderated nine different segments for both Senators to debate on the topic of domestic policy.  Like the crowd at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, the three students all cheered for Senator Obama as he and Senator McCain both took center stage.

“Obama is definitely going to win, he is more cut and dry when he speaks, he gets right to the point, unlike McCain,” said Parkhurst a sophmore at Hudson Valley Community College. He, too, is a registered Democrat and is a believer of Senator Obama’s tax breaks for the middle class.

The three students began to lose interest in anything McCain had to say.  They began to talk over the voice of Senator McCain and have their own one-sided debate.  One of students, James Ramson had his own take, “All I know is that McCain voted 96% the same as George Bush and he is the reason where we are at today, I cannot take four more years of this garbage!”

Ramson had paid attention to the campaign comments by Obama’s team that blames Senator McCain for siding with President Bush.

Ramson is a sophomore at the University at Albany and also a registered Democrat. This election to Ramson was special not only because it is the first time he is eligible to vote but also because he is half African American. Many African Americans seem to think that Obama’s bid for the White House is a step forward for all of them; maybe bringing about change and an end to racism, inequality and unfair treatment. Whether this will prove to be true remains to be seen.

When both senators were asked about “taking the highroad” in their campaigning, all of the students were passionate about the words that each senator had used in their campaigns. After Schieffer listed words that Obama had used towards McCain the students, listed their own words. “Idiot” and “Really how old is he?” were the friendliest of the lot.

After the debate had ended, all three students had the same look on both candidates.  Not that even Obama was the best fit for the next president, but that McCain was totally not.  The students all decided after this debate that McCain was not the right man to be president of this country. 

Raffensperger said. "I’m not the greatest fan of Obama but he does support middle-class like my family and as Ramson said before there is no way I could ever have four more years of George Bush.”

University students have watched the campaigns for two months as have all Americans. Tired of the long, drawn out process, and the mud-slinging, mostly people are ready for the whole process to be over. Even though chosing the next president is the most serious of chargers for any American citizen to do, people can stay attentive for only so long.

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