Palin passes test, Republicans say

After Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin finished the vice-presidential debate Thursday night, junior Justin Hill, chairman of IU Students for John McCain, relaxed. Palin had passed the test.

“I think she had two big goals tonight,” Hill said. “One, that she had to come across as still being Sarah Palin – that she could be herself. That she could connect with Americans.”

Palin’s other test, Hill said, was showing knowledge on foreign policy, for which Palin has been criticized. Hill said Palin was right to emphasize that “meeting without pre-conditions is very dangerous” in regards to Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s plan to meet with leaders of Iran and other nations. Overall, Hill said, she was “very commanding on foreign policy and who she was.”

Freshman Michael Swihart, member of the IU College Republicans, gathered with other students to watch the debate in a lecture hall divided between the IU College Republicans and other students groups. He said he didn’t believe the debate necessarily changed many voters’ opinions because both candidates said what they were told to say by their respective campaigns.

“The issue here is the economy,” Swihart said. “I think the issue that was not addressed at all was the fiscal irresponsibility of Barack Obama’s policies.”

In a week where the American economy was in turmoil, the vice-presidential candidates clashed on the topic, along with the war in Iraq, energy plans and foreign policy.

Palin consistently cited how Republican nominee John McCain would “get rid of the greed and corruption” that had caused Wall Street to crumble in recent weeks. Biden emphasized how Obama’s tax plan would help the middle class while getting rid of tax cuts for CEOs.

“The economic engine of America is the middle class. It’s the people listening to this broadcast,” Biden said. “John wants to add $300 billion in new tax cuts per year for corporate America and the very wealthy while giving virtually nothing to the middle class.”

Biden added that McCain voted four out of five times for President Bush’s budget.
“The issue is, how different is John McCain’s policy going to be than George Bush’s?” Biden asked. “I haven’t heard.”

Regarding Iraq, while both candidates have a son either there or on the way, their differences rang clear.

“We’re getting closer and closer to victory, and it would be a travesty if we quit now in Iraq,” Palin said. “Our commanders on the ground will tell us when those conditions have been met.”

Biden responded, saying Iraqi and American leaders are discussing plans for withdrawal.

“We will end this war,” Biden said of Obama’s plan for a 16-month withdrawal. “For John McCain, there’s no end in sight.”

Both candidates emphasized their connection to the middle class, with Palin citing a time without health insurance and Biden raising two kids alone and discussing a childhood without money.

Swihart said voters would look at the underlying issues and not the “Obama emotional hype.”

“Yeah, it’s cool to get free health care and lower oil prices and all these handouts that Barrack Obama proposes,” he said. “But the problem is, with an already overextended economy, Barack Obama’s policy is going to be detrimental and perhaps suicidal.”