This past Wednesday, April 3, the Politics Club, Young Americans for Liberty and Virginia 21 hosted a debate in Wygal Hall. There were five different political affiliations that were represented. Christopher Cooper represented the Anarchists, the Democrats by Bryan Roethel, the Republicans by Dustin Meadows, the Socialists by Avrielle Suleiman and the Libertarians by Kramer Anderson.
The debate started promptly at 7 p.m. with political science, history and all students alike trickling in throughout the debate. Emily Wilkins opened up the night with a few introductions of the panel of representatives and the two mediators, Dr. David Lehr, associate professor of Economics, and Dr. William Harbour, associate
professor of Political Science. Harbour explained that there would be a total of six questions asked to the panel; he also mentioned that the mediators would have the chance to ask two questions. The only rules that were announced were that each person on the panel would have two minutes to respond and would then get another minute when every other member on the panel had a chance to answer the question. It became clear around the middle of the responses during the first question that the rules were going to be pretty much thrown out the window.
The audience had already started asking questions that were out there to the panel, and the debate was losing structure quickly. That is not to say that the debate was not well- planned. The six questions that were asked by the mediators were on topics that related back to the events going on in the news, and issues that are very important to college students. Topics ranged from healthcare, drone attacks, second amendment rights, nuclear weapons and immigration.
The first question was about gun control laws and the second amendment. Each of the representatives really stuck to their parties’ or groups’ view very well. The answers were very believable. The representatives all had their own types of body language where one could almost tell what they were thinking.
Meadows stuck to the Republican’s platform that the second amendment is essential and a true right to life. Meadows also posed the question of what would stop the government from taking guns away without some sort of gun freedom laws. Those were not his exact words, but it was the interpretation that some of the audience may have been thinking.
Anderson was taking notes in true Libertarianism fashion, while Meadows was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and a very demanding yet stringent look on his face. Suleiman was listening intently, while Cooper was just “chillin’” with a smirk on his face. Roethel was simply taking everything in and absorbing as much information as he could.
The next few questions focused on immigration and whether or not immigration laws should stay the same or change. Then came the topic everyone loves to hate: healthcare.
Sitting through the debate was an opportunity to watch students come hear a political conversation with their peers, an alternative to what some college students always see.
