IT’S ON

In a roomful of highly partisan voters, senior Jared Schneider was alone.

The undecided voter watched Democratic nominee Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain battle against each other on negative campaigning and the faltering economy for 90 minutes, yet still couldn’t make up his mind.

About 125 students gathered to watch the final face-off between Obama and McCain on Wednesday in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Whittenberger Auditorium. But it was clear nearly every student there had already cast their vote in their mind, laughing and mocking the other party’s candidate throughout the debate.

Schneider, who said he voted for Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004, said if he had to pick a winner of the debate he would choose McCain.

But that doesn’t mean the Arizona senator will get his vote on Nov. 4.

“I don’t know,” Schneider said. “I just felt like the whole time it felt like they both were lying.”

IU Student Association president Luke Fields, who attended the watch party, said he believed McCain’s presence was different in the final debate in that he was more on the offensive, a position he was reluctant to take in previous debates.

“My take away from the debate was that John McCain did much better than he had done in previous debates,” Fields said. “I’m not certain that I can say either of them won.”

Fields said McCain in previous debates had come across as lethargic and easily frustrated, but in this one he seemed to fight back.

“I do think John McCain’s doing better,” Fields said. “You could construe that as a win, but I’m not sure that I would.”

But sophomore Lindsay Hylton said she thought Obama won the debate with direct responses and composure.

“His closing statement was kind of more inspiring than McCain’s,” Hylton said.

She said she thought the last debate was the most interesting of the three.

“It’s farther along more, and things are just getting more personal,” Hylton said. “They were talking a lot more about their campaigns and who was doing more negative campaigning.”

Senior Jill DeLuna, director of legislative relations for IUSA, agreed the final debate was the most interesting.

“I think that there was a lot of tension in the air with this debate, which I didn’t feel as much in other debates,” she said. “I think when they do get heated about things it shows their passion. Sometimes, although it goes off topic, it kind of catches your attention and I think that’s a good thing.”

Schneider, though, had little praise for the candidates.

“I’m still not impressed with either one of them,” he said. “I’m going to have to pick between the lesser of two evils. But that’s the way it always is.”