The debate last night was a success, at least on our end of the spectrum. We had been told by our administration to make the presentation as professional as possible. Their goal for the night: Make the school look good. They didn't care so much about the candidates, just so long as we looked good. Well, I for one cared about the candidates.
The forum focused mostly on the education issues that will be facing the next governor, whoever that may be.
For those of you not familiar with the Maine elections, Here are the candidates, listed in order of poll results, highest to lowest.
Paul Lepage
Libby Mitchell
Eliot Cutler
Shawn Moody
Kevin Scott
Out of all of the candidates many speeches last night, I got the most of of Cutler's, Lepage's, and Scott's speeches. Moody and Mitchell fell short. I like most of Scott's ideas, but he does need a little bit more substance. His speaking skills were phenominal, and I went up to him after the forum and told him so. He thanked me, and we launched into a ten minute discussion. One thing Scott has emphasized throughout the entire campaign process is that he isn't really a politician. He doesn't come from a political background, and he uses this as an advantage. I think it's a unique way to go about campaigning, and I love some of his ideas for how to run the state and fix our problems, but he's the lowest in the polls, and needs some more umph in his campaign. I can't remember if it was he or Moody who didn't take their public campaigning money, but if it was Scott, hoooboy, he should have.
I have a Cutler sign outside of my house, and I support him the most out of all of the candidates. One thing I noted last night was the manner in which the candidates answered the questions that we, the students, presented. Going from left to right from my point of view, Scott made a point to use your name and look at you and only sometimes at the audience or the camera. Moody looked mostly at the camera, and a little bit at you, and also made sure to use your name, Mitchell... well, heaven only knows where she was looking. I think she was aiming at the camera, but from my angle, it looked more like she was talking to a fly on the ceiling of the auditorium, head held high like a day dreamer. She didn't look at me even once. Lepage gave the camera and the questioner equal attention, used names, but mostly talked about policy. It was an efficient way to deal with the questions- I was impressed, despite my general dislike for the man. Cutler, however, really impressed me. Perhaps he had an advantage, because he was closest to the questioner, but he made it a point to look directly at you the entire time he was answering the question. For him, it was about answering YOUR question, not turning every question into a chance to campaign. I felt like all of his answers were honest and down to earth, and I respect him for that.
I was also incredibly impressed when, after the debate, both Cutler and Scott remembered not only my name, but the names of all of the other students around me. There's something to be said for charisma.
Lepage's answers, I think, had the most information in them. His plans do make a good deal of sense, and I like some of his positions quite a lot. However, he's shown a lack of diplomatic ability- something that's very important to have as governor of Maine, or any state. I'm not just talking about his "get the hell out of my state" comment, but his entire campaign. He was well behaved last night, though, so he gets a brownie for that.
All of this having been said, I have to admit that I'm not the most politically minded person on the planet. I am swayed sometimes by emotion, and am not always well read on the issues. But I do think it's important that the voice of youth be heard before the elections. Your decision affects us too. Most of all, everyone needs to vote, and understand what they're voting on before they go. I know, I sound like a nagging public service announcement, but it's true and you know it. Just do it.
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