It’s a late Wednesday night on CNN. The nation gathers around their televisions to watch eloquent politicians stand behind podiums and try to influence the engaged audience to fight for his or her cause. Although the actual presidential campaign will not begin until 2016, many Americans take the time to watch these debates, wondering who will become the next Commander-in-Chief, the next Head of State, the next leader of the free world: The next President of the United States.
Finally settling into the new school year, the Jesuit community has taken time away from their loads of homework and grading in order to sit down and watch these debates, which help determine the possible Democrat and Republican nominees, who will then run for the coveted Presidency of the United States. A number of teachers, students, and coaches have been interviewed for their thoughts on the recent presidential debates. Here’s what they said:
Mr. Paul McDaniel, one of the coaches for the tennis team and a junior counselor, gave his thoughts on the debate, noting that he “saw the first Republican debate” and was surprised by the “ones that have underperformed, like Jeb Bush, [who] I thought would probably be a very strong candidate, but hasn’t been able to express himself enough where I feel like I know who he really is.” McDaniel also expressed interest in the popular Donald Trump, saying, “I was fascinated with him from the very beginning when he made his anti-immigration speech, which I thought would doom his campaign.” He also enjoyed the fact the Trump is “unscripted and doesn’t listen to research groups or what other people tell him. He’s giving his opinion, not a political opinion.” As far as predictions, McDaniel predicted that Democrat Hillary Clinton will defeat any of the Republicans who are running.
Next, freshman counselor and psychology teacher Mr. Corey Marr weighed in on the debates, taking a liking to Donald Trump, who he finds “very entertaining.” He predicts that “Hillary Clinton will be the Democrat and maybe Marco Rubio will be the Republican.”
Mr. Andy Civello ’97, a psychology teacher and an administrator that works in the Student Life office, “watched the first Republican debate” and was impressed with “the candidates that I didn’t know anything about until the debate,” listing Ben Carson, who “really surprised me because he made a name for himself and has momentum that is still going. To me, he has presented himself as a top candidate.” He predicts, like McDaniel and Marr, that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic vote but chooses “either Trump or Carson” to win the GOP vote.
Students also gave their opinions on the debate, despite some not even being able to vote. For example, Michael Musso ’19, a shotput thrower on the track and field team, hasn’t watched the debates, but he “like[s] Donald Trump because of his confidence and determination, and believe[s] that being a successful businessman will make up for his lack of political experience.” Michael thus predicts Trump winning the Republican vote and Clinton winning the Democratic vote, but to “watch out for Bernie Sanders, because he could do big things for the country.”
Last but not least, Garrett Alldredge ’16, one of the seniors currently directing a One Act, also viewed the “first Republican debate in Ohio, which is the only one I have seen in its entirety.” He weighs in on both parties, commenting that “Bernie Sanders would have the largest impact on the country,” but also that he “likes Mark Rubio and Ted Cruz as Republican candidates.” He too predicted Clinton to take the Democratic vote but then selected dark horse Mark Rubio as the winner of the GOP vote.
Overall, the Jesuit community shows a varied interest in the presidential debates, each prediction slightly different from the other. After all, only time will tell who will have correctly predicted the nominees.
