Security and excitement were on high alert Tuesday night at Hofstra University as Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney converged onto the campus to intensely debate a plethora of topics for the second time in just a few weeks.
On multiple occasions Romney and Obama broke free from the perceived notion that a town-hall style debate is friendlier, and directly attacked the other candidate. The attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and the county’s economic situation brought out the most fire from each contender and both were adamant at getting their point across by interrupting one another and pleading for more time from debate moderator and CNN reporter Candy Crowley.
The debate began with the most relatable issue for young voters: unemployment among college graduates. Governor Romney explained that he’d like to continue the growth of the Pell grant program and make higher education more affordable. President Obama laid out a plan that would focus on creating and saving jobs in manufacturing, changing the tax code, and giving tax incentives to companies that hire Americans.
Not satisfied with either candidate’s answer, Crowley refocused the question on how each of them would help the 40% of unemployed that have been without a job for more than six months.
Romney attacked the Obama Administration’s handling of General Motors and Chrysler and stated that his five-point plan can create twelve million jobs for Americans. The President retorted that Romney’s five-point plan boils down to a one point plan that would ensure “folks at the top play by a different set of rules.” Throughout the rest of the debate, both candidates used the twelve questions given by undecided voters as launching pads to attack the other candidate’s missteps and policies.
When asked about the attack on the US Consulate in Libya which killed four United States servicemen, including a US ambassador to Libya, President Obama took full responsibility. The president explained that they are still investigating what happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 and that immediately after the attack he commanded his assistants to “…beef up security and procedures, [and] not just in Libya, but at every consulate and embassy around the world.”
The president went on to ridicule the Romney campaign’s decision to use the terrorist attack as a political talking point.
Governor Romney explained that the attack on the consulate was just another example of failed foreign policy by the Obama administration and criticized the press release by the White House in the days after the incident which explained that the attack was a “spontaneous demonstration”, not an “act of terror”.
“And there was no demonstration involved. It was a terrorist attack and it took a long time for that to be told to the American people. Whether there was some misleading, or instead whether we just didn’t know what happened, you have to ask yourself why didn’t we know five days later…” Said Romney.
However, moderator Crowley explained that in fact the President used the phrase, “act of terror” in the speech at the White House Rose Garden days after the attack.
Obama went on to state that the White House did not mislead the public. “And the suggestion that anybody in my team, whether the Secretary of State, our U.N. Ambassador, anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we’ve lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. That’s not what we do. That’s not what I do as president, that’s not what I do as Commander in Chief.” Stated the president.
Outside the David S. Mack Sports Complex prior to the debate, there was a more relaxed atmosphere. Many students took advantage of Hofstra’s second consecutive foray in the Presidential debate to bring awareness to real as well as comedic issues.
Certain students were seen holding up signs protesting hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in upstate New York, and the recent Supreme Court decision in favor of Super PACs. Other students brought awareness to the gay marriage debate and gender pay equality. Even a documentary filmmaker stopped by the media-packed campus to film students’ opinions towards the way presidential campaigns are run and what they want out of a president.
Sarcastic undergrads protested passionately, by making out for over an hour simply for “peace.” While others held signs stating “Romney doesn’t believe in gravity”, “KONY 2012”, and “Ron Paul is a Pokémon.” Even The Rent is Too Goddamn High Party perennial candidate James McMillan was there to explain, that the rent is too goddamn high.
Radio engineer for Hofstra’s campus radio station WRHU, Joe Hutter, commented that the atmosphere “resembled a circus.”
However the air of enthusiasm and irony that overtook the campus for the day quickly eroded as the debate approached. Students and faculty, media, and members of the Hempstead community who were not lucky enough to watch the debate inside Hofstra’s basketball arena took shelter inside the many viewing parties dotted around the campus.
A seminar was held at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse before the viewing party and debate; which covered a multitude of topics including the effects of social media on debate viewers, how different broadcast outlets affect the perceptions of each candidate, and what a viewer should look for during the debate.
Many members of the audience felt Indiana University Communications chair and NPR contributor, Dr. Mary Kahl’s advice on how to watch the debate was very helpful.
“Whenever I watch a debate I find myself looking at my phone or tuning out. [Dr. Kahl’s] tips really helped me stay focused. I was picking things up I never noticed before”, said Adrian Hakkert, a Dutch exchange student.
With new-found knowledge and a free cup of tea provided by MSNBC, excited observers quickly ran back to their seats after a brief intermission between the seminar and viewing party. As if it were New Year’s Eve, the audience began counting down the final seconds before the debate and rang it in with a thunderous applause. Throughout the debate, both sides of the political aisle could be heard cheering for support as each candidate took shots at the other.
“I am jealous of the people that got [into the Mack Sports Complex], but I think we had a better time here”, said Samantha Teano, a single mother of two. “I knew who I was going to vote for before the debate, and this really helped me feel confident about my decision.”
Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz was delighted to host the Presidential Debate for a second consecutive time an hoped to host a third consecutive presidential debate in 2016 in a speech given minutes before the debate.
The final presidential debate of the 2012 campaign will be on Monday, October 22, at 9PM at Lynne University in Boca Raton, Florida. The debate will mainly focus on foreign policy.