The College Republicans and College Democrats disproved claims that students are politically apathetic at their debate Tuesday night, when more than 100 people packed the EMU Fir Room to hear their arguments.
Organizers said it was one of the most successful joint debates the two groups had ever had. Jeff Oliver, the moderator for Tuesday night’s debate, said only 10 people attended the college groups’ last debate.
Each group had a six-person panel, two to argue each of the three topics — affirmative action, President Bush’s economic stimulus plan and the impending war in Iraq.
Eathan Firpo and Samantha Bouton spoke on behalf of the College Democrats on the topic of affirmative action. Firpo said opponents’ claims that affirmative action is no longer necessary in today’s society is untrue. Bouton argued that discrimination is deeply ingrained in American institutions, and affirmative action is the only way to level the playing field.
However, College Republicans C.J. Sage and Anthony Warren argued that affirmative action was not a fair or effective method for helping disadvantaged people. Sage objected to affirmative action because he claimed it increases discrimination against minorities by saying they are incapable of helping themselves without the federal government’s aid. Warren added that the Republican Party proposed a shift in focus from race to income status for determining which populations require assistance.
“When students are graded on their ethnic background, not their merits, that is wrong,” Warren said. “There is no longer the nationwide ignorance and hatred there once was. Affirmative action does not solve the problems of discrimination when it’s based on race.”
Scott Austin and Greg McNeill defended President George W. Bush’s economic stimulus plan for the College Republicans. Their core arguments were that the proposed tax cuts would benefit everyone, not just the wealthy, and returning taxpayers’ money will help the ailing economy in the long run.
In the College Democrats corner, co-Chairman Mike Linman and Ben Mckee said Bush’s economic stimulus plan was not the answer because it failed to address the key to pumping life back into the economy — increasing consumer spending.
Kevin Curtin and Paul Griffes denounced going to war with Iraq. Neither College Democrat disputed claims that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is “evil,” but they still argued the United States should not engage in a military attack against Iraq. Curtin said there are many brutal dictators around the world, yet Bush is obsessed with a war in Iraq. He added that al-Qaida is America’s biggest threat right now, and the Bush administration has failed to provide sufficient proof that Hussein is connected with al-Qaida.
College Republicans Vince Martorano and Matthew Lawrence said the Republican Party firmly supports going to war against Iraq. Martorano said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell provided sufficient evidence of the threat Hussein poses to America and the world at the United Nations Security Council meeting.
A member of the audience cranked the tension level up a notch when he asked if the University should take a stance regarding the war.
Lawrence said that if the University condemned the war in Iraq, it would alienate students with opposing beliefs.
“A resolution would push them away, and it would scare the hell out of them,” he said.
Griffes’ demeanor was mellow throughout the evening, but that changed when he gave his own opinion on the matter.
“The idea that the University should not be taking on political issues is fucking ludicrous,” Griffes said, after stating that it was his personal belief, and not all of the members of the College Democrats agreed with him.
Mary Van Noy, a sophomore at the University and political science major, said she enjoyed the debate.
“They hit a bunch of different points, and I thought there was some really intelligent thought in there,” Van Noy said.
Matt McConaghy, a sophomore business major, said he thought the two groups had picked important, relevant topics for discussion, and he planned on attending their next debate. However, he said debaters on both sides of the issues had room for improvement.
“At times, it was kind of like they were bantering to the crowd,” McConaghy said.