Students and faculty gathered in the Overby center to watch what one host called the most constructive debate yet in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted a “Pizza and Politics” party Wednesday night to coincide with the final presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton.
Students and members of the community were invited to watch the debate together in the Overby Auditorium. Charles Overby, chairman of the center, and Overby Fellow Curtis Wilkie engaged with students afterwards.
“In other debates that Curtis and I have covered with previous candidates, the differences between the two candidates were blurred,” Overby said. “Both candidates in the previous debates tried to move, I think, toward the middle and not make a very big distinction. I thought this debate tonight did a good job of presenting the differences between the two candidates in a way that allows voters to decide.”
Overby said Trump did an effective job presenting his case on the Supreme Court and the Second Amendment.
“We need a Supreme Court that, in my opinion, is going to uphold the Second Amendment and all amendments,” Trump said during the debate.
Overby said while Trump made strong points on Roe v. Wade and Clinton’s evolving stance on open borders, he lost impact when he mentioned ‘bad hombres.’ Overall, Overby said Trump “went downhill” after sexual assault allegations came up.
He also said Trump did not deny that he has not paid federal taxes, even though Clinton gave him every opportunity to do so.
Wilkie said Clinton spoke more articulately and specifically than Trump. He said she was specific about what she wanted to see from the Supreme Court.
Trump criticized Clinton’s 30 years as a politician. Clinton said she was taking on discrimination against African-American kids in schools at the same time as Trump was getting sued by the U.S. Justice Department for racial discrimination in his apartment buildings. Clinton compared resumes with Trump.
“On the day when I was in the situation room, monitoring the raid that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice, he was hosting the Celebrity Apprentice,” Clinton said. “So I am happy to compare my 30 years experience.”
Ben Davis, a political science major, said that before the debate, he planned to vote for a third party candidate. While he said he is still undecided, he felt more comfortable after the debate with both candidates.
Colton Andrews, a sophomore elementary education major, said he feels Clinton won the debate because Trump discredited himself by going on an all-out offensive against Clinton, while Clinton restrained herself and didn’t descend to Trump’s level.
“Definitely a weakness for Trump was how he kind of descended into bullying Hillary,” Andrews said. “One of his strengths was that he is very passionate about what he believes in. Hillary, she has the experience.”
Jordan Holman, a sophomore history major, said she believes Clinton emerged victorious at the debate because she was much more collected than Trump.
Holman said Hillary came to the table with issues that she wanted to debate, while Trump came with punches.
“She came to the debate talking more about certain issues, addressing the important issues on women and different rights and things like that, whereas he focused on infective,” Holman said.
Kennedy Frain, a freshman recreation administration major, said she believes Clinton won the debate because she brought everything that she believed to the table and stayed on point.
“I feel like both of them did well putting their opinion out there,” Frain said. “Both of them interrupted and didn’t really listen to the moderator at some points, and it made them not seem as great.”
