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Show LAURA ALBISTON RUSSELL KENNEDY COMMENTARY COMMENTARY Clinton and the democrats: running scared in debates T he .fi rst m em or y I h ave of a Presidential debate was between Ronald Reaga·n an d Walt er Mondale in 1984. We were going to have a mock election in my little second grade class in the da ys surrounding th e deba te. I rem ember thinking, "This Reagan guy just looks like a President." I was eight years old at the time, and this is how I ju dged who I tho ught should be President of t he United States. I think it is tragic to say that many Americans today, much older than my eight years that year, s till base their vote on that same type of mentality. It is becoming less and less significant how a candidat e ac tually feels about real issu es tha t a ff ect real people, though they may no t realize it. Bill Clinton may look more like a president, but does that mean that his ability is superior to that of his opponent? As I sat and wat ch ed t h e first Presidential debate for the first of three tim e s w i th two se m i t o ex tre mis t liberal friends of mine, l seriously was a little apprehensive because I was t he o nl y dyed-in-the-wool co nserva t ive republica n in the room. However, as the candidates t he m selves began to speak and debate each other, I was almost literally turning cartwheels in the room. Bob Dole came off as his true self- witty, full of humor, and in telligent. President Clinton, historically the be tt er deba t er of the tw o, w as not exactly the sharpest k ni fe in t h e drawer. You have to think about this debate in terms of issues. Bob Dole (this is .the part where I got reall y excited) called the p resid ent on several very vi tal issu es. T h e best was the presiden t 's drug policy. Bob Dole pointed out that drug use has in fact gone up, though the president likes to no t talk about that too m uch. President Clinton seemed ill at ease w h e n Do l e s tate d s p eci fic percentages of the rise in drug use. Bob Dole pointed out that marijuana use is up 166 pe rcent, as the Pres ident claimed its u se wa s down by 3 0 percent. With s u c h diffe re nces in nu m be rs, es peci ally a m o ng yo ung children, logic would dictate that the number couldn't be as lo w as the President claims it is. My favorite point in the debate was when Bob Dole was talking About trial lawyers and frivolous lawsuits. He said that he h ad falle n off a stage in California, and before he hit the ground, he got a call on his cell phone. He said it was a trial lawyer, telling him he thought they h a d a ca se. Even the President co uldn' t help but laugh at this one. I think the whole irony of the jo ke w as tha t it easily c o uld have happen ed in our current legal atmosphere. After the debate was over, I sat and realized how much our commander-inchief had stret ch ed the truth . I was amazed at how many people I talked ,t9 in th·e days after (both liberal and con servative frien ds) wh o were n ot questioning the validity of what either candidate said. T hen I figu re d some thing o ut. A president (or his oppon ent, for t ha t m atter ) can say any thing h e wants, spout o ut any numbers he wants, be they true or notas long as they soun d good. It ls a sad commentary on our time when we as people do n o t qu esti on thes e statements. Well, just as I did after Al Gore gave h is rat h er e loqu ent speech at the Democratic National Convention, I sat and th ough t ab out wha t it was t he president had said that would change my life. And again, just as I felt after Al Gore spoke, I came up with absolutely not h ing t ha t m e an t an yt hing. T h is entire race is a battle of ideas, as I'm sure Russell will agree, and President C linton 's willipgness t o take on t he conservative val ues that have done so well the last two years prove this. The t hing that drives me up a wall more than anything abou t a politician is when he or she says somethi ng they may not really believe themselves but makes other people feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. This is exactly why I cannot tolerate President Clinton and his performances not only at the debate, but in the last two years. H e realizes conservative values and principles are what is going to win this race, and so he finds himself steering away from his own self imposed liberal label. He took c redit fo r the progress t o wa rds a balanced budget, and then blamed the Republican Party fo r no t getting it balanced. And then you think about itwhat did he propose when he had both a m a jorit y of h is own par ty in th e H ou se and the Sena t e? A s o call ed "Stimulus Package" that was so out of control that even his pals in Congress couldn ' t handle it . My whole point is this . Bill Clinton had two years h e could have pushed anything through Congress he wanted, and I challenge anyone to find s o mething he did initiate that has made this country better. Bob Dole called him on issues, and even surprised Ted Koppel. I think everyone basically expected Bob Dole to come out of these things terrible with awful scars. He, however, showed the American public that he believed we need to take drugs away from children, that we need to balance the budget. Dole has the Democratic Party scared now, so much so that the president has spent a lot more time preparing for this next debate than he did the first. The next debate will be televised t onight, s tarting at 7 p.m . on all n e two rks . Please take the time to watch at least part of it. This is not only min e or Mr. Kennedy's president, but he will be yours too. !;aura Albi~ton is ap S([U~A qfflcer, I Dole V. Reynolds: The real comparison In one of my all-time favorite movies, having been in Washington for 30 plus The Unsinkable Molly Brown, the title years w e sh o uld expect a far more character, played by Debbie Reynolds, coheren t case for t he Dole candidacy portrays the life of the legendary Molly t h en w e received las t Wednes day . Brown from her humblest beginnings in Republicans w ill go on and on about the back mountains of Colorado to her image and h o w t h ey jus t d on ' t historic voyage on the ill-fated Titanic. understand why an individual has to be In the movie, Molly and her equally ar t icul at e or well-ve rsed, or n ew lysocially backward h usband, J.J. Brown, shaved in the case of Richard .N ixon to become i nstant millio naires afte r "win " a debate or to app ear more accidentally striking it rich on one of the "presidential." It makes you wonder just when they largest finds of gold in Colorado history. However, the Browns quickly fi nd that are going to get it. It may be tough news their uncultured ways are unacceptable to break to them but there are several in lavish "second generation" Den ver other q ualifi cation s that one needs to and to remedy th e prob lem, take an become President other than a grasp of extended European vacation to instill in the issues of t he day. Yes, appearance is them some of the fine, well-mannered o ne of t h e m. Yes, t h e ability t o attributes of life. articula t ely communicate with t he But in the end, it is a return to the public is on e of them . Democrat or tough and often unforgiving upbringing Republican, the American public will Molly endure d as a . - - - - - - -- - - - - ---. ju dge you on th ese yo ung wo m a n th at ,. things. And chances are make all the difference you are be tte r off by Dole t rying to adjust to these in time of crisis . You 'For see, Mo lly was campaign bas tried facto rs than brushing s uccess ful in proving them · off as to many of the freezing to portray their unimpo rta n t and ignorant. survivors of the Titanic I am not going to go that h er core wasn't in Candidate aS a plain• th e fin e dining skills _,• .:_ d foreve r a bout the and artis tic attrib utes SpeUIUUg everyi ay debates . In sho rt, I of France and England, Kansan, who is t h ink it w as a d raw. but r a th er in t h e And if i t w asn ' t th e knowledge of fishing, somehow not pa.rt of w inne r w as cert a inly hu nting, and the th e Presi de nt. In a occasio nal bar dan ce the Washington News w eek Po ll that emulated her pre- establishment.' immediat ely following millionaire life with J.J. the de bate, de bate Bob Dole, you're no watchers regardless for who they supp ort Debbie Reynolds. Ahhh ...The presidential debates. It is report that 49 percent think that Clinton that quadrennial time again where the wo n the s howdown w h ile o n ly 25 candida t es vying for the presiden cy percent think that Dole did. To further squ ar e off of fro nt of m illi on s of t his evidence, N ewsweek also reports that the basic presidential election polls American viewers. N o w befo re s o m eone sets o ut t o did not even budge following the debate. crucify me for comparing Bob Dole to 53 percent still say they would vote for Debbie Reynolds let me elaborate. You C li n t on / Gore and 32 pe rcent fo r see, the Dole campaign for weeks has Dole/Kemp. trie d to portray their candidate as a On the morning that this edition of the plain-speaking, everyday Kansan, who Journal is delivered from stand to stand somehow is not part of the Washington around campus, its readers along with establishment. N ever has the Dol e millions of other Americans scanning campaign tried harder to do this than the paper this morning may fa il t o last we ek's presidential debate in realize something about the 1996 Hartford, Conn. presidential election: It's fewer than 20 It didn't work. days away. Why? The answer is simple. Bob Dole Well, that doesn't leave us much time, is not just an entrenched part of the does it? And as they say back home, Washington establishment. Bob Dole is "better get crackin"' Here is what the Washington. There exists no other Presidential debates to this point come individual in the Republican party today down to: who has been there (Washington) and Bob Dole needed a home run. He didn't get it. Bob Dole needed to dramatically done that longer than Bob Dole. The Dole campaign's goal at trying to tum the presidential race upside down. paint their candi date as an outsider He didn't. The President is the only clear should have been abandoned long ago. choice for the American people. And if During the course of the debate Mr. Dole the vice president decides not to go for it fitfully made his points as he made in 2000, anybody want to help me start mumbled atte mpt after mumbl ed the Reynolds 2000 campaign? attempt to attack the President's record R ussell Kenn ed y is a j unior social while in office. . J here just isri' t an excuse for it. After science composite m ajor 9nd SUUSA weeks . . tb. e |