by Bridgette Begle | Oct 4, 2012 | News Slider
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....
by Erica Aburto | Oct 2, 2012 | News Slider
Lipscomb will host a debate watch party Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 7:15 p.m. in Shamblin Theatre, welcoming the first of three debates this month between incumbent Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. The watch party is free and open to the general public. Pizza and refreshments will be provided, along with political insight by a panel of experts. Before the debate begins, attendants will be polled on relevant issues, submitting their answers using “clickers.” Afterwards, political experts will advise the attendants on what to look for in the remainder of the presidential race leading up to the election. After the panel of experts informs the audience about what to look for, the debate will be shown at 8 p.m. Jim Lehrer, host of NewsHour on PBS, will be moderating the debate live from the University of Denver. The debate will focus on domestic policy, with the moderator opening each of the six segments with a question and allowing each candidate two minutes to respond. To conclude the debate watch party, a political panel of experts will discuss and analyze the candidates’ performances throughout the debate. The panel will consist of former Chief of Staff to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senate Republican Policy Committee member Tom Ingram; former congressional candidate and now Chief of Staff to Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) Lisa Quigley, and a Lipscomb student voter. Photo courtesy of the Associated...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 20, 2011 | News Slider
During a time of great political turmoil, those lucky enough to get the chance to hear from one of the representatives on Capitol Hill get a unique opportunity. On Wednesday night, Lipscomb students, faculty and members of the Nashville community got this distinct chance. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN) visited Lipscomb for the university’s monthly Pizza and Politics event. Cooper addressed the burning issues facing our country while giving the students a message of urgency concerning their political activism. Dr. Lowry introduced the congressman, even jokingly saying that Rep. Cooper is only democrat he would vote for. Rep. Cooper took the stage and quickly began his opening statements directed at the students and other young people in the audience. Cooper urged the young in the audience to take an active role in politics, even if it meant only voting. Cooper believes that just being an informed voter is an important role for Americans. Cooper, who hosts the largest internship program on Capitol Hill,encouraged students to pursue being informed of the nation’s issues. He firmly believes that the state of the country reflects on the state of its citizens. “America is not going to be number one if you are not number one,” he said. A self-described centrist, Cooper calls for all Americans to become independent thinkers, not just trusting the opinions of such popular news outlets as Fox News and MSNBC. Cooper devoted the rest of his time to address such important issues such as the current state of congress – a system he believes to be broken, health care, and the current pattern of government spending. The audience, diverse...
by Hunter Patterson | Nov 2, 2010 | News Slider, Opinion
On a night during which many voters expressed disapproval for the Obama administration and the Democrats, Tennessee became one of many states from around the country to elect a Republican governor. And voters in the Volunteer State didn’t have to wait long to find out all the pre-election prognostications were correct: By 7:28 p.m. the Associated Press declared Bill Haslam the winner. Republican Haslam, mayor of Knoxville, and Democrat Mike McWherter, a Jackson businessman and the son of former Gov. Ned McWherter, sought to succeed outgoing Gov. Phil Bredesen. With nearly half of the precincts having reported, Haslam controlled about 70 percent of the vote. During his victory speech Haslam — who had spent a part of the evening chairing the Knoxville City Council, one of his mayoral duties — expressed excitement about the tasks at hand. “I am looking forward to working with Gov. Bredesen–we are starting as early as (Wednesday),” Haslam said. “It is my duty to make certain that Tennessee continues to move forward. While it’s time to celebrate the victory, we must not forget that we face some major social issues.” It also appears that Tennessee has approved a constitutional guarantee to hunt and fish. Much like what other Southern states have done — South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas — Tennessee will now have the right to hunt and fish implanted into the state’s constitution. While it does not change the law, it prevents from hunting and fishing from being outlawed without changing the constitution. Several participants from COMMA volunteered at the News Channel 4 studios Tuesday night. The COMMA students (members of the Communication Majors and Minors Association) answered phone calls from all around the state to...
