Debate turns out to be a winner

By Cynthia Perez

First off I have to say this was the first time I have ever sat and watched a political debate from start to finish. I thought it was going to be a very long and boring two hours. Boy was I wrong. I found the debate as a whole rather interesting. Watching the debate made me realize I have a lot to learn about politics, because I really don’t know or understand a whole lot about it. After seeing and hearing all of the Democratic candidates, three of which I had never heard of, I realize that if a Democrat wins next November, regardless of who wins, the chances are good that the winner, as well as the election, is going to be historical. Four of the seven candidates are not your typical white male. There’s a female, an African American, an Asian, and a Latino running to be the next president of the United States.

I was a bit annoyed by the initial arguing/bickering going on during the beginning of the debate, the first fifteen minutes or so, when they were all going after Hilary. They weren’t addressing the real issues. Then it turned into several candidates saying they all needed to focus on the issues, and then debate actually went in that direction, talking about the issues, although it seemed to me like Hilary was indeed a major topic for the debate, at least for the beginning of it. I think she handled herself very well in dealing with the attacks made against her. I think her best line, when asked if she was playing the gender card, was “they aren’t after me because I’m a woman; they’re after me because I’m ahead.”

As for the issues discussed during the debate, I was pleased that there were a variety of topics discussed. I liked that health care and social security were discussed. I personally don’t really understand how that all works, but I do know that I am worried about not having social security, and health care becoming unaffordable for me. I was also interested in the discussion about the war in Iraq. I think having a member of the military speak/ask a question was a nice touch, but I really didn’t feel any candidate really gave a plan with a date to get the troops out and bring them home. The closest time frame that was given I believe was 15 or 18 months. Obviously the war is very important and affects a lot of people, so it something that needs to be discussed. I also wish gas prices and how that issue would be resolved would have been discussed, but it wasn’t.

I thought the talk about the Patriot Act was good, but it could have been a little better. I don’t really understand exactly what it is out how it works, besides that it allows the government to I guess spy on people it thinks might be involved in terrorism. I think the candidates perhaps could have explained it a little more, but then again I’m sure that wasn’t done in the interest of time, and because they probably assume it’s the same people watching the debates all the time. Other than that, I think there was some humor during the debate as well, and I kind of liked it. One of my favorite moments was when the Patriot Act was discussed and Congressmen K said, “I read it.” Senator Edwards also provided some humor. It was actually kind of nice, having that humor, because while politics can be interesting, it can also be rather boring.

Once again I have to say I actually kind of enjoyed watching the Democratic presidential debate. I think it’s important for us to do our homework and know what the issues are and where candidates stand so we can make an informed vote come Election Day. While politics may be boring and hard to understand I think as voters it is our duty to be informed to the best of our ability. Watching this debate really made me realize that my homework is far from done when it comes to knowing the issues and the candidates, which makes me really appreciate having had to watch the debate, because otherwise I might not have. Then I would be like the average voter who doesn’t really know who or what he/she is voting for. I know I want to be informed, so I can’t complain later.