Mark Drake, West Bend West High School Social Studies Teacher and Faculty Advisor for West Bend Model United Nations and Mock Trial teams held a presidential debate viewing party at King Pin Bowl on Monday. Drake posted his review of the debate below, followed by submissions from his students. The reviewers were not asked their political opinion, they were asked to review the debate.
Mark Drake: My biggest takeaway from Monday night’s debate was the immense pride I felt sharing it with 30 high school students who voluntarily came and watched intently as if their future depends on the outcome of this race – and they’re correct. This election will shape America for years to come. Participatory democracy has its roots in nights like this, and it leads to greater action – joining parties, volunteering with interest groups, and voting. I’m also grateful to supportive parents who share their time, resources and views with their students tonight and every night.
Our class is focused on connections – to the Constitution and to people. Which candidate made the stronger connection to the American people tonight? I don’t think you can declare a definitive winner coming out of tonight’s debate. I think both candidates did what was required of them to stay the course, but I don’t see either candidate gaining a large amount of ground with the electorate. Some undecided voters might have chosen their candidate tonight, but I think just as many remain unmoved. Perhaps they’ll decide after the next debate, or simply tune out.
The candidates have work ahead. They must sharpen their attacks, shorten their statements, clarify their policy proposals and directly confront the opposition. This could get uglier before the end, but given how the primary races went, perhaps that’s what the American people want.
Rebecca Ann Virchow, 18, senior at West Bend East High School: At their cores, both Presidential Nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton want the same thing: to be the change America has been searching for. Each nominee wishes to appeal to the hearts and minds of voters through the image they project in debates.
Hayden Kolowrat, junior at West Bend West: The presidential debate went well for both candidates; both candidates did a good job answering their questions and supporting them without being too reckless or hateful towards each other which is more than a lot of people excepted. I thought it was respectful of them to wear the opposing parties’ colors for the debate; however that’s about as far as the respect went. Both candidates spent a lot of time not fighting the issue but fighting the person. They were more concerned of making the other look bad than actually explain their stances on issues. My peers and I were using online fact checking sources throughout the debate to separate the lies and trues, and from this we found Mr. Trump was incorrect more often than Secretary Clinton however Trump made up for this with ruthlessness and aggression. It also seemed that the moderator more often fought with Trump than Clinton. Whether this was due to bias from the moderator or just incorrectness from the candidate, I’m not sure but it was probably a little of both. Overall, it was good debate. I enjoyed hearing what the candidates had to say and I was glad to be surrounded by friends who wanted to do the same. Politics can be hard to understand, but when teens like us get interested in it now, it only will lead to more informed and active voters in the future. That’s what’s really important.