Hundreds Turn Out for
Ath's VP Debate Telecast
By Hannah Gregg '12
 Claremont McKenna lived up to its ranking as Newsweek's "Hottest College in an Election Year," attracting an overflow crowd to watch a live streaming of the Vice Presidential debate between Sen. Joseph Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin on Oct. 2.
More than 300 students packed the Athenaeum, occupying every table and folding chair brought in for the televised event, and with late-arriving guests taking up seats on the floor. Serious and intellectual (especially for a Thursday night on campus), the atmosphere was mostly quiet during the speeches, interrupted every so often by affirmative clapping (as when Biden commented on the economy), or occasional laughter (as when Palin mispronounced "nuclear" as "nukular"). In the debate's final seconds, the room was abuzz with students turning to friends with reactions, and instigating debates of their own.
In their own words...
Christopher Temple '12
"I think that, as expected, Biden won the debate. Everyone was watching this debate with a critical eye, waiting for one of the two to make a mistake, but they both did a good job. Biden looked presidential and came across as more knowledgeable on a lot of the issues, especially ones regarding the economy and foreign policy. Palin hung in there though, and successfully regurgitated her talking notes, while coming across as more personable and friendly than Biden. As opposed to Biden, she always looked directly into the camera, which will win her some support."
Samuel Mitchell '12
"I thought both candidates played it pretty safe, essentially voicing the identical opinions that McCain and Obama did in their debate. I was very surprised and impressed that Palin didn't say anything too inane, although I was terribly annoyed by the way she spoke, and found a lot of her statements to be either laughably unrealistic or just simply untrue. Biden did a good job of stating meaningful statistics and pointed out how with most of the votes Palin criticized Obama for, McCain had actually voted the same way. Palin was very well prepped and all of her responses seemed very rehearsed, but I'm sure she wouldn't have been able to muster anything intelligent at all otherwise. Biden was repetitive but convincing."
Julia Star '12
"I felt Biden represented Obama's platforms well. Palin's presentation was unimpressive and Biden's experience alone sets him at a much higher level."
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