The highly anticipated first of three debates between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry will be held tonight, and some students and experts are already talking. The debate will start at 9 p.m. at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.
College Republicans chairman Andy Banducci cited the attention to Al Gore's constant sighs during the 2000 presidential debates as an example of behavior that could have influenced the way people viewed the candidates.
Megan Green, College Democrats president, said Gore's reputation for being stiff and Bush's "not knowing how to pronounce certain words" were less important than the real issues.
This year, Banducci said that, leading up to the debates, both parties are praising the other side's candidate. "Whoever wins the spin war, wins the debate," Banducci said.
Despite the "spin wars," Banducci said he thinks people will make the decision that Bush is best for America.
Penn State political science professor Scott Bennett said it will be hard for viewers to look past these aspects of the events. "This spin doctoring goes on before and after the election, and the media plays a huge role in who wins or loses the debates," he said.
Bennett said people forget that Kerry's style of speaking comes from his experience in the Senate.
"People say Kerry's answers are too long and complicated, but that's what you do in the Senate -- you debate things for a long time," Bennett said. "He's not trained in speaking sharply and in what they call sound bites."
Banducci said he is sure Bush will excel in the debates, especially the first one, which will focus on foreign policy and homeland security. "As long as he plans on continuing to talk about his plans on the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan and the war on terror, I'm sure he'll be fine," Banducci said.
Green, however, gives the edge to Kerry. "He has a better composure and a more formal speaking manner -- the qualities a president should have," she said. "I think he really needs to give his plan to regain the American allies and a clear plan on how to get us out of Iraq."
Bush is still leading Kerry in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, 52 to 44 percent, but the result was within the poll's 3 percent margin of error.
"I think you can lose an election during the debates, but you can't win one," Banducci said. "And especially in this election, since there are not so many undecided voters."
Bennett said both candidates need to do more than what they've been doing concerning their handling of the war in Iraq.
"Bush needs to tell people what they're doing in Iraq now because people don't know what we're doing," Bennett said. "Kerry said that things have been handled poorly so far and that something else needs to be done. He needs to say what he will do, and I don't think he has."
The debate will be televised from 9 to 10:30 tonight on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC and PBS.
Vice-presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards will debate next, on Tuesday in Cleveland. The second presidential debate will be a town hall forum Oct. 8 in St. Louis. The last deliberation between Bush and Kerry will take place Oct. 13 in Tempe, Ariz.
