Student opinions are not changing as Ohio comes closer to the Democratic primary on March 2.
The Sept. 11 attacks, the Iraq conflict and the state of the economy are all topics of debate within both parties. While many students have remained committed to their own party, a few are wavering between the conservative and liberal viewpoints.
“I typically believe in the Republican point-of-view, but this election I plan on registering as a Democrat,” said Ramzi Muhtadie, a junior in finance. “I’ve just become distrustful of the Republican Party as a result of the last four years, primarily because of their handling of foreign affairs along with the developing Haliburton scandal.”
As the Ohio primary closes in, it is important to note what Ohio voters will be concerned with this election season and how the Democratic candidates will respond.
“Jobs and the economy are always big issues in Ohio,” said Herb Asher, professor emeritus in political science. “Not just blue-collar, but white-collar workers as well. It’s critical that the Democrats not lose sight of the economy.”
Republican students still feel confident in President George W. Bush’s ability to remain in office after this November, but campus Republicans disagree as to whom they see as the greatest threat to Bush.
John Valentine, a junior in marketing, said he saw Sen. Joe Lieberman as the most capable of the candidates in opposing Bush.
“He knows where he stands, he doesn’t beat around the bush, he’s direct and publicly he’s a very good speaker,” Valentine said.
Mike Obhof, a junior in economics and a Republican, agrees.
“Lieberman was the most moderate of the candidates. He could’ve pulled undecided Republicans to his side,” Obhof said.
Now, with Lieberman’s decision to drop out of the race, only four candidates remain to vie for the Democratic nomination. Sen. John Kerry has come away with an early lead, and Lieberman’s decision to drop may have only strengthened Kerry’s campaign. With the centrist-leaning Lieberman out of the picture, Kerry’s full-on traditional democratic approach may force Democrats to back away from the middle.
“Out of all the candidates, (Kerry) actually represents what it is to be a Democrat,” said David Lenker, a freshman in marketing. “That is why he is likely to gain momentum and that’s why he’s going to be dangerous.”
Regardless of who gets the Democratic nod for the nomination, Democrats are sure to attack Bush on a variety of fronts.
“There seems to be a very definite growing agenda for the Democrats,” Asher said. The environment, the secrecy of the Bush camp, education and deficit spending, are all going to be areas where the Democrats should be asking a lot of questions, Asher said.
“It’s not that there is a lack of a Democratic agenda, it’s just that here we haven’t had the media saturation that Iowa and New Hampshire have been seeing,” Asher said.
College Democrats president Ryan Jolley says the Democratic agenda is there if people take the time to find out what it is.
“The media isn’t reporting on the Democratic issues of focus,” Jolley said. “Those things aren’t going to be in the 30-second sound bite you see on the daily news.”
There are 10 states, including Ohio, California and New York that will have their primaries on March 2. The front-runner of the Democratic candidates will likely be apparent by then.
“The economy and job question is one that affects the entire country,” Asher said. “States like Ohio and Michigan are large centers of industry where this issue will likely turn them into battleground states when the general election rolls around.”
