Students react to debate

By: Elizabeth Ruocco

Posted: 10/6/08

The past vice presidential debate between Republican candidate Sarah Palin and Democratic candidate Joe Biden has received a lot of attention - not just from the media, but from UConn students as well.

With this election being particularly significant, many UConn students tuned in Thursday to learn about the policies, promises, and voting records of the Democratic and Republican tickets.

Even before the debate started, many viewers gave Biden the edge. However, the actual debate forced spectators to reconsider.

"I generally favor Biden over Palin but I think Palin did better because she wasn't expected to do as good as she did," said Ellen Tierney, a 1st-semester physiology and neurobiology major.

But with over 35 years of experience, Biden was able to hold is own - especially in foreign policy discussion.

"It was very strategic of Obama to choose Biden as a running mate, because he outshines people in foreign policy, and that is a large area of concern for many voters," said Laura Baumann, a 1st-semester physiology and neurobiology major.

The negative attention Palin has received from the media is hard to go unnoticed, but many agreed the debate helped improve her image.

"The media tried to manipulate the viewers and she overcame a lot of obstacles," said Andrew Provencher, a 3rd-semester political science major. "She was being portrayed as someone who isn't strong or educated, but without the media editing and filtering information, it was clear she is."

"I think she took the negative comments as suggestions as to how she could do better," said Chris Nicholson, a 3rd-semester political science and Air Force studies major.

On the other hand, while students agreed that Palin exceeded expectations, some still believed Biden's performance was better.

"I think she did better than what was expected, but that doesn't mean she did better than Biden," said Nico Grant, a 7th-semester psychology major.