By Ashley Zsedenyi, staff writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - 鈥淚 don't care who you vote for - vote!鈥 said Dr. Wendy Benningfield, associate professor of history at 青瓜视频, during the Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy (KHIPP) sponsored forum at CU Thursday, Oct. 23.
鈥淭his is a historic election. An African-American is running for president, and for only the second time a female could be vice president,鈥 Benningfield said. 鈥淰ote for who will impact you.鈥
John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president at CU and founder of KHIPP, praised Benningfield and Max Wise, assistant professor of political science, for their 鈥渓eadership in engaging student involvement鈥 in the coming election.
鈥淚 am pleased in the degree of civic engagement on our campus,鈥 Chowning said.
Guest speakers at the forum were Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway.
Conway and Benningfield spoke on behalf of the Democratic Party, while Grayson and Wise spoke on behalf of the Republican Party.
鈥淭his is a tough time for the Republican Party,鈥 Wise said.
He said he thought John McCain was the best candidate his party could have selected at the time of the primary elections, and that McCain has 鈥渙vercome problems I don't know if any other candidate could have overcome,鈥 but there is 鈥渏ust a need for a change at the time and (Barack) Obama has been steady over the course鈥 of the campaign.
Wise discussed three key points he felt McCain could address that would be 鈥渃lassier than personal attacks鈥 on Obama.
鈥淥bama is the least friendly Democrat to business in a generation,鈥 he said, adding that Obama mostly has non-profit experience and his main contact groups are trade unions and lawyers.
Wise also said McCain should 鈥渉ammer away on the factor of single-party rule鈥 in Washington, and that Americans like the system of checks and balances through divided parties.
Lastly, Wise said, 鈥淥bama is a party man鈥e voted 97 percent of the time with his party.鈥
Benningfield said she was 鈥渁 Hillary (Clinton) fan鈥 until recently, and that her initial problem was the actual name 鈥淧resident Obama.鈥
She said once she took the time to research Obama's plans, she got 鈥渆xcited.鈥
鈥淓very voter needs to take the time to read about the person, to understand all candidates and pick the issues that are important to you,鈥 she said.
She said the country 鈥渘eeds a change, a fresh approach,鈥 and feels 鈥淥bama represents change.鈥
鈥淚 like Obama because I like the change.鈥
鈥淥bama's tax cut for 95 percent of Americans excites me,鈥 Benningfield said.
She also likes his plan for tax credits for college students who will have to complete community service as part of the deal, and she also likes his foreign policy plan, which is to re-establish contact with former U.S. allies and would open up trans-Atlantic communication.
Grayson said he is seeing 鈥減eople of all ages involved鈥 in this 鈥渆xciting election.鈥
鈥淭here are serious problems facing the country and the world,鈥 he said, but there is 鈥渉ope for the future.鈥
He admitted he 鈥減redicted it would be Hillary Clinton鈥 who would win the election, and he mentioned his young daughter became excited at the prospect of a female president.
His other daughter, he said, was an Obama fan until she learned he and his wife Michelle do not give gifts to their daughters for their birthdays or Christmas as a way to teach their children the value of money and to live in moderation.
The fact was his children were 鈥渋nvolved.鈥 He said he encouraged them because he 鈥渨anted them to believe they could do whatever they wanted to do.鈥
While Grayson said he is 鈥渙ptimistic鈥 for McCain to win in Kentucky, he is 鈥渘ot optimistic at the national level.鈥
He said he has been frustrated by some of McCain's actions during the campaign, and feels McCain hasn't spent enough time discussing his economic plan and his personal values in detail.
The Republicans 鈥減robably will lose this election, and probably will lose some Senate seats,鈥 Grayson said, but he is 鈥渧ery proud to be a Republican鈥 and 鈥渨in or lose, I am a Republican because of the ideas the party is built on.鈥
Conway said, 鈥淥ur country is seriously off on the wrong track鈥nd I think the American people know that.鈥
Addressing Wise's comment about single-party rule, Conway said, 鈥渢he Republican party has ruled the United States most of the last decade.鈥
鈥淭hink back to Sept. 12, (2001),鈥 he said. 鈥淪urpluses as far as the eyes can see, Colin Powell fielding calls from around the world giving their support to the U.S.鈥
鈥淗ow on Earth in seven years did we squander so much?鈥 Conway said. 鈥淲e have $10 trillion in debt to pass on to our kids.鈥
鈥淚t is time for fundamental change,鈥 he said.
鈥淥ur government is less creditworthy鈥 because Americans were told it was our 鈥減atriotic duty to go spend,鈥 and now face an 鈥渆conomic crisis.鈥
鈥淲e have now run out of digits on the debt clock,鈥 Conway said.
He asked the audience, 鈥淲hich of these two candidates offers fundamental change and the inspiration to get us out of the mess we're in?鈥
He said (former president Bill) Clinton didn't have business experience either, but 鈥渉e knew economics,鈥 and the U.S. experienced 鈥渆ight years of growth鈥 under his leadership.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell 鈥渨rote the book鈥 on how and why we go to war, Conway said, and he 鈥渟aid a lot in his endorsement of Obama.鈥
鈥淲ould you rather be inspired, or would you rather have fear instilled in you?鈥 Conway asked.
鈥淭here are 49,000 new registered voters in Kentucky,鈥 and he said they registered 鈥渂ecause they are going to vote.鈥
The panel also fielded audience questions on topics including the right to life, the economy, the war in Iraq, the future of small business, the role of the media in educating voters and the early voting system in Kentucky.
Benningfield said 鈥渉istory does repeat itself,鈥 in referring to the economic crisis and the eventual depression of the 1920s, and said we must 鈥渞estore confidence in America around the world, as well as in Americans.鈥 She said the 鈥渂ailout plan didn't fix anything, but it helped.鈥
Grayson said the next president 鈥渘eeds to calm and unify the country.鈥
The panel also discussed the concern of biased media in this election.
Grayson said he has been 鈥渇rustrated鈥 by the coverage of all campaigns, both state and national.
He said, 鈥(Joe) Biden says something dumb every day, but (Sarah) Palin gets pounded for one bad interview.鈥
He also mentioned he sees 鈥渓ots of questions that ought to be asked鈥 that are being overlooked, and urged the audience to seek out the truth. 鈥淲e live in a day and age of the Internet. The information is out there if you look for it.鈥
Conway echoed Grayson's concerns of media coverage, and said 鈥淭here are so many sources (of information) now, perhaps the Internet is the way out.鈥
As for the Iraqi war, Conway said we need a 鈥渢houghtful president鈥 to end the 鈥渙ver 100-year-old鈥 dilemma.
鈥淲e have to send a signal to the rest of the world鈥 that we need their assistance. 鈥淲e have to stop sending so much money to the Middle East,鈥 he said.
Conway said another major issue of the campaign should be energy consumption. 鈥淲e have to come up with new ways to use energy more efficiently.鈥
鈥淥verall, I like where the priorities are in Obama's plan over McCain's,鈥 he said.
Grayson said, 鈥淲hoever is elected the next president, he is my president and I want him to do well.鈥
青瓜视频 is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, 青瓜视频 is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,601 students who represent 93 Kentucky counties, 27 states and 31 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2009 鈥淎merica's Best Colleges,鈥 CU is ranked 22nd in 鈥淏est Baccalaureate Colleges鈥 in the South for the second consecutive year. CU has been ranked 16 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges庐. 青瓜视频 is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president.