Following last week's presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Syracuse students are awaiting tonight’s vice presidential showdown.
Advertising senior Daniel Denning was discouraged by the lack of policy discussion last week, and hopes for a more substantive conversation between vice presidential nominees Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.
“There wasn’t enough policy material in (last week’s) debate,” Denning said. “I’ll vote for Hillary because she seems to know what she’s doing, but I’m hoping that the Vice Presidential debate will offer a little more detail on plans and policies.”
English senior Angelica Welch said that she couldn’t even finish the first debate. “I watched it for 20 minutes and then switched it off,” Welch said. “As a woman, Trump’s misogyny bothers me. And he has no real plans.”
Environmental studies junior Melissa McLellan says that this is a unique election in American history.
“Usually, we must choose the better of the two candidates,” McLellan said. “This time, it is about choosing lesser of the two evils.”
Despite general apathy among millennials toward this year’s presidential candidates, many SU students have been urging students not to sit out this election. Economics student Helen Tang stresses the importance of getting millennials involved in the political process.
“There are people out there who’ve gone to jail for decades to win the right to vote,” Tang said. “Look at Nelson Mandela. That is why we need to vote.”
McLellan, sitting at a voter registration booth outside the dining hall at Schine Student Center, agrees.
“We need to gather together and vote for whoever we actually think will do a good job. I hope that [the Vice Presidential] debate will offer some clarity to everyone who’s feeling disillusioned so far.”
Tonight's Vice Presidential debate from Longwood University will air at 9 p.m. on all major broadcast outlets.
