By Tyler Flanagan
ROME, Oct. 7 – The Lemon
Tree Courtyard at John Cabot University last Monday was filled to capacity with over 300
American students watching the televised the replay of the first presidential debate. Midway through the broadcast, a discussion arose among the some of the students and a consensus emerged: neither candidate, John McCain nor Barack
Obama.
The students said neither candidate seemed to be tackling the issues head-on, and the debate seemed to be more involved around character than policy.
That evening, an informal poll was taken to guage which party the students favored. There
were more hands raised for Obama than for McCain,
but there were a surprising number -- roughly 20 - "undecided" hands raised. This first
debate was supposed to sway the undecided votes to one side or the other, but that was simply
not the case, an issue true in some parts of America too.
Josh Sanchez, 19, a study-abroad
student walked into this debate leaning to neither party. “I came into this debate tonight undecided,
looking for an answer of which party I want to vote for, but I’m still
stuck right where I was previously,” he said. Speaking of McCain, he said, "I do not agree with the Keating Five scandal and
how his campaign managers are [former] lobbyists,” he explained. “I was expecting
answers about the economy that I minimally received.”
The first set of Presidential
Debates lacked substance for the undecided voters. Students
are frustrated that neither candidate impressed them enough to set their
votes. They are concerned about the job market and who will revive the slumping economy.
The second debate between McCain and Obama airs tonight.
For additional information about undecided votes visit the following site.
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