A Presidential debate watch party gave students and staff in Shamblin Theater on Wednesday night a unique opportunity to hear expert advice on who “won” and how the debate could impact the election.
The event, which was open to the public, had a high turn out and featured a panel of experts who gave a brief informational introduction and some predictions about the debate.
Lipscomb Communications Professor Alan Griggs hosted the two experts, one democrat and one republican, who shared their opinions on stage before and after the debate. Toby Compton, who served as the Republican representative on the panel, works in the administration of Gov. Bill Haslam. Compton and democratic representative Lisa Quigley, who serves as chief of staff for Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), spoke respectfully about their own parties and the other’s party on what to expect in the debate.
“He is going to lay out his case for why he should be re-elected… He has to come out today looking like the strong leader that Americans expect,” Quigley said laying out her expectations for President Barack Obama.
Compton said Gov. Mitt Romney needed to focus on being relatable during the debate. “There is a lot of pressure on Romney to do well,” he said. “He has to present himself as human, as someone who can relate to other people.”
Domestic issues were the intended topic of the debate but, according to Quigley, were passed right over. Instead, “Obamacare” and Medicaid were a central topic for the night. The debate also hit a range of topics from budget and taxes to cooperation between parties and Big Bird.
According to USA Today, Twitter had a history-making night, reaching “10.3 million tweets during the course of their 90-minute debate.” By the end of the debate, “#SaveBigBird” was the fourth highest trending topic.
The middle class was another highlighted topic. According to Quigley, it is hard to avoid discussing the middle class because it is the largest segment of voters. When Griggs asked the panel if the nominees were sincere on that topic, Compton said, “I certainly hope they believe it. It is hard to say.”
“There were definite fireworks” during the debate, Compton admitted, saying that he thought Romney’s tactic of aggression worked for him. Compton said Romney looked good and came off well. “The Big Bird comment was a gem,” he said.
Although usually a very thematic speaker, President Obama did not show it Wednesday night, according to Quigley. “Obama looked like a professor, not a president,” she said.
Both Compton and Quigley agreed that President Obama did better at looking into the camera rather than at his opponent or Jim Lehrer, the moderator of the event, who also became a trending topic on Twitter.
Although there is no crowned winner after the debates, following Wednesday’s event, both Quigley and Compton agreed that, although it was a close race, Romney “won” the debate. Both representatives expect a bump in the polls in favor of Romney.