Supporters of the two major presidential campaigns rallied together
Tuesday night on campus to watch the first and only debate between vice
presidential hopefuls Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards.
Republican congressional candidate Jim Feldkamp joined College
Republican members and other University students at The Break in the
EMU to watch the debate, praising what he said was an inspiring level
of political involvement at the University.
“It’s great to see young voters excited about politics,” Feldkamp said.
He said the viewing was a perfect way to watch the debates while
connecting with the students he is working so hard to reach.
Feldkamp said both Cheney and Edwards’ performances reflected their
personalities, reiterating the Republican Party’s preference for facts
instead of fear.
“Fast lines and smooth talking come natural to Edwards, a formal trial
lawyer, but Cheney’s reserved appearance and quiet tone are a result of
his ‘just the facts’ personality,” Feldkamp said.
“(Edwards) tried to hammer away and create this atmosphere of distrust
when the facts speak for themselves,” Feldkamp said. “Cheney is by
nature more reserved and more factual-oriented.”
Freshman Paul Coppe agreed.
“While John Edwards is a very good public speaker, he’s a snake oil
salesman,” Coppe said. “Dick Cheney speaks more from the heart,” he
said, adding that Cheney is much more qualified to lead the country
than Edwards could ever be.
Anyone still undecided about who to vote for should understand that
“it’s better to err on the side of caution and values you can trust
than flashy gimmicks,” Coppe said.
Though Edwards and Sen. John Kerry’s ideas about America sound may
wonderful, most are not feasible, junior Josh Tucker said, adding that
neither candidate will discuss the ideas enough to give citizens
adequate information to make a good decision.

Tucker said Edwards scrambled for answers when they should have come
easily, and seemed to have only a few arguments that he used over
again.
“Every time John Edwards opened his mouth it was either something about
Haliburton, a single healthcare statistic or the fact that his father
was a mill worker,” Tucker said.
Eugene resident Rex Snellstrom did not share the same sentiments on
Edwards’ performance, but agreed that Cheney had carried himself well.
Snellstrom, who is supporting Kerry, said the debate will have no
effect on who he votes for because he focuses more on the ideology of a
candidate than his or her persona.
“I can’t see anything in a debate changing my mind,” Snellstrom said.
About 80 people, many of them Kerry supporters, also watched the
debate, gathering in Knight Law 110 at a viewing hosted by the College
Democrats. Although the crowd was smaller and more subdued than the
group that turned out for the presidential debate in the same lecture
hall last Thursday, several students said the vice presidential debates
were important.
“In America, we’re supposed to be a team — the Johns are supposed to be
a team,” freshman Monica Morrison said of presidential and vice
presidential running mates Kerry and Edwards.
Morrison said the debate was more candid than last week’s showdown.
“They seemed to not hold anything back,” she said.
She added that she found support watching the debate with other Kerry
advocates.
“I like watching these debates with people who feel the same way I do,”
she said.
Besides the war, Morrison said she wanted to hear about education and
gay marriage during the debate. She added that she doesn’t fully agree
with either ticket’s view on gay marriage, but said the Democrats have
a more open-minded stance.
Freshman Kylen McCudden agreed that gay marriage was a key issue,
adding that she was pleased the moderator asked the candidates about
AIDS because the issue is often left out of the spotlight.
“I thought it was awesome she brought it up,” she said
McCudden said she liked the vice presidential debate better because the
candidates seemed more open to sparring over issues.
“They obviously disagreed with each other, which I like to see,” she
said.
McCudden also said she noticed a smaller crowd at the event.
“The turnout was very different for this one,” she said. ” I think
people kind of write off the vice president.”
Senior Tony Yuen said the debate was more evenly matched than last
Thursday’s presidential debate.
“I really didn’t see a clear winner in this one like I did in the
Bush-Kerry debate,” he said, noting that he still strongly supports
Kerry.
Yuen added that he wanted to see Edwards distinguish the Kerry/Edwards
platform from their opponent’s policies on topics like education.
“I think it’s important for Edwards to point out that Bush hasn’t
really done anything with his No Child Left Behind Act,” Yuen said.
Freshman Steffany Tilton said she supports Kerry, but wanted to see the
vice presidential candidates square off.
“I just wanted to see first hand how they acted together,” she said
Tilton said Edwards outperformed the vice president during the debate.
She added that it is important for students to take the vice
presidential candidates seriously.
“There are a lot of people who don’t know what’s going on,” she said
regarding who is running for vice president.
Tilton said the war in Iraq was a key issue in the debate.
“I disagreed with obviously that Iraq is going well because it’s not,”
she said.
College Democrats Co-Chairman Kevin Curtin said Edwards came across as
more personable, while Cheney was able to make more attacks on Edwards’
policies because he did not have to worry about his approval rating as
much as Edwards.
“I thought Edwards was just more likable,” he said.
Curtin also said Edwards showed a distinct difference between his
ticket’s plans and those of the current administration on issues such
as the economy and healthcare.
Law student Patrick Barnes said Edwards performed better than Cheney,
meeting supporters’ high expectations for his performance in the
debate.
“I think Edwards did a lot better job, but I don’t think he did
anything more than he was expected to,” he said.

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