The Great Debate

     I think I was in London when I learned that DU would be hosting the first presidential debate of 2012. Then it seemed like forever away, unfathomable, and now there is no trace of it ever having been here. For life having been nothing but completely normal right up until the week of the debate and going back to normal literally over night, a pretty astounding thing has happened in the mean time.

     I will freely admit that I, in my usual non-political, don't-want-to-deal-with-it attitude, planned rather rebelliously to ignore the entire debate. The way I saw it, there was nothing that either candidate could say that would get me to change my vote. (And there wasn't.) But someone called me out on that being a crappy reason not to watch the debate and be an informed voter. He was right.

     I had blissfully, defiantly not registered for DebateFest, the big party that DU was putting on rather than attempt to hold classes when the campus was swamped with security and press. I planned, instead to hole myself up in my apartment and merely watch the chaos unfold below. It was a plan I held onto happily right up until the fences started popping up. As you may imagine, an event featuring the President of the United States and his opponent needs to be a fairly secure deal. Not the type of thing that just any old mad man could wander into. For DU, this meant fences. Everywhere. Miles of fences went up all over campus a few days before the big event. Naturally, this meant that some of the campus footpaths were blocked and students would have to take different routes to class. I'm sure all of the good, sane people of DU didn't mind working around this minor inconvenience for a few days for the sake of the prestige of hosting the debate. It, however, drove me absolutely crazy. I think it started with a particularly trying fence experience I had when trying to get all the way across campus and into the Ritchie Center (the sports facility which housed the arena the debate was being held in) for curling practice. Despite the debate being nearly a week away at that point I had to circumnavigate one of the biggest buildings on campus several times, stopping and starting due to fences, and finally walk through a dodgy alley before showing up to practice 20 minutes late. It was late, I was tired, and this annoying experience had primed me to be annoyed by the whole debate.


The epicenter of the irritation.

     Registration for DebateFest had been closed for quite a while and I was perfectly fine with it even though it was beginning to seem like I was the only person on campus, certainly among my friends, who wasn't going. Then, the Monday before the debate, I woke up from a "power" nap to find an email on my phone reminding me to register for DebateFest. So I did. It was a random decision on a whim but I thought - Hey, if they are going to harass me with all of these infuriating fences I may as well get a free concert out of the deal. 

     Fast-forward a day and a half to me and my roommates plus some friends sitting on one of DU's  brick paths for an hour waiting to go into DebateFest. I honestly was never excited until the line started moving and we walked in to DebateFest, on the other side of the fences! Then, seeing all of the informational booths, the stage, the huge screens and the students and community members bedecked in the gear of their candidate of choice I realized that this was a pretty cool event and I was glad to be there. 

     The rest of the afternoon was a lovely break from classes on a lovely day at an event with a sort of low key, local music festival vibe to it. We snagged a spot on the grass to spread out our blanket and then spent the rest of the afternoon listening to local bands, chatting (sometimes even about politics), and wandering the transformed campus. We were entertained by Zach Hekendorf, Nathaniel Rateliff, and The Lumineers. We saw, or in my case tried really hard to ignore, a hot dog eating contest and watched as an artist created a huge painting of the two candidates while rocking out to music. We even got a few little pep talks from Governor Hickenlooper and Mayor Hancock. All said it was a really enjoyable afternoon, certainly better than being in class. And, yes, better than being holed up in my room alone.


The Lumineers

     After the last band had played and the sun had begun set and it was time for the main event. The debate was broadcasted live from a building just a few blocks away to two huge screens on the main campus for students, professors, and community members who were huddled together, freezing to death under blankets on the grass. I think that my pelvis is still out there somewhere, turned to a pile of dust on the DU's perfectly manicured lawn.


I know you can't tell but this is actually the candidates being introduced.

     Despite the crowd, the close call with frostbite, and the irreparable damage to my hips I will be the first to say that it was a really great experience. It was cool to see so many people, mostly students, taking an interest in the future of our country. We also got to enjoy the debate live and without commercials. It was interesting to see how other people, from both sides, reacted to various parts of the debate. People laughed and booed when gaffes were made and cheered for things they agreed with. My group kept tally of Obama's well delivered one liners, Presidential Burns as they were soon dubbed.


This is what a  well informed voter looks like.

     Of the debate itself one moment stands out vividly to me. Toward the very end of the debate Jim asked the candidates what they thought the government's role in education should be. It felt as if President Obama were speaking directly to me, to all of us out there on the lawn, when he talked about how in every college, even DU, there are kids who can't turn to their parents to foot the bill for eduction. He sees it as the government's duty to help those students to have the same opportunities for education as those whose parents can afford it out of pocket. I am no stranger to student loans. I love the fact that Obama had student loans of his own and understands what it's like to face that straight out of college and knows what it means to pay them off. In that moment of the debate I was glad to be out there in the cold with my fellow students. There and then listening to the President speak reminded me, hopefully reminded us all, that it is us who make up America, not just the president, and it is up to us to ensure the future of our country is bright by being smart,  being informed, and voting.