By Ian Clark
On Thursday, Oct. 27, the Republican and Democratic parties met in the Union Grand Ballroom to discuss their positions on various topics, and to let activists in the party explain positions and establish planks in a party platform. About 250 people showed up to each of the parties’ talks and both had heated conversations about controversial issues.
Republican Party
A few of the hot-button issues for Republicans were birth control, the death penalty and the legalization of marijuana, and the discussion lasted for about an hour. Abortion/birth control and the death penalty are predictable wedge issues the GOP exploits, but what was unusual Oct. 27 was that student delegates wanted less severe stances. With arguments about exceptions and nuances such as rape, and/or accidental convictions, such issues were settled and the party’s platform revised.
Democratic Party
The Democratic Party also had debates and, unlike Republicans, the Democrats considered party positions from a sheet, discussing them one by one. This was tiresome and frustrating, and took so long the group only got through 12 of 30 topics before someone called the question to vote on all views – after an hour of debate.
One of the controversial issues for Democrats was taxes. That’s not exactly surprising, but the debate was whether taxes should be eliminated or decreased. The conversation on this topic generally and on education specifically caused spirited a debate and many questions.
Overview
Overall, both parties had a smaller turnout than they did for October 25’s opening night, but it was still a decent crowd. Plus, having a smaller crowd was not all bad. It gave voters a chance to let their views be heard and to be able to ask questions and give suggestions until they were happy that their points of view were heard on each position.
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