Two representatives from each of four on-campus political organizations took the stage together Tuesday night to contribute their opinions in the annual Great Debate.
The Great Debate, hosted this year by the College Democrats, is a chance for students of differing political perspectives to share their thoughts on pre-selected issues and answer audience questions.
The four represented groups included the College Democrats, College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty and Young Democratic Socialists of America. It was the Young Democratic Socialists of America’s first year to participate.
Foreign Policy with Iran
The Young Americans for Liberty representatives began the discussion and advocated for minimal intervention.
“Diplomacy doesn’t mean we need troops and war for negotiation,” said Troy Beckham, senior in materials engineering.
The College Republicans representatives said that isolationism was a “failed policy” and believe that President Trump has taken a healthy approach.
“Radical regimes only respond to strength and to force,” said Noah Riddle, senior in political science and history.
The representatives for the College Democrats and Young Democratic Socialists of America shared similar sentiments in that Iran would respond better to softer negotiations and diplomacy.
“We don’t want Iran to feel like they need to have nuclear weapons,” said Carsten Grove, junior in industrial and systems engineering.
HealthCare
The Young Democratic Socialists of America said that healthcare is a basic human right and they support universal healthcare.
The College Democrats said Medicaid should be expanded and Alabama’s decision to not accept federal funding for Medicaid expansion during former President Barack Obama’s administration was purely political.
The College Republicans said Medicaid is not fiscally responsible, limits people’s choices in private health insurance and provides equal access to lower quality care than options available under private health insurance.
The Young Americans for Liberty said people do not have the right to hold someone else responsible for administering healthcare, favoring instead an open market for healthcare.
Immigration
The Young Democratic Socialists of America said immigrants help build a better America, and that people looking to find a better life in America and contribute to the country’s economy should not be turned away.
“They should not suffer in countries we helped destabilize,” said Ben Lattner, senior in aerospace engineering.
The College Republicans said the Republican party values immigrants and wants to maintain fair and legal immigration practices. They said carelessly granting amnesty provides incentive for an increasing rate of illegal immigration, and the southern border is too lax.
The College Democrats said the immigration system in place needs to be changed because it limits immigration availability to only the most elite of applicants.
They said immigration pathways that are too limiting, not amnesty, is what incentivizes illegal immigration.
The Young Americans for Liberty said the right exaggerates the number of illegal immigrants committing crimes, and the left exaggerates the numbers of illegal immigrants getting jobs.
“No productive member of society should be deported,” Beckham said.
Trade With China
The Young Americans for Liberty said they believe tariffs should be eliminated because they result in a decrease in consumption.
The College Republicans said they believe in a free market, but tariffs are necessary to adjust China’s communist practices. They believe President Donald Trump’s current practices are working.
The College Democrats said that tariffs are a political tax levied on the American people. They believe there are ways to challenge the Chinese government that don’t hurt financially American citizens.
The Young Democratic Socialists of America said America uses tariffs as a means of imposing its will on countries, and the American government needs to be cognizant of how it uses tariffs.
Audience Questions
Audience questions dealt with impeaching President Trump and the related investigation into Ukraine, recruiting centrist voters, the May 2019 Alabama abortion bill, police shootings and system reform, and primary news sources the representatives read.
College Republicans member Jane Anne Stewart, senior in public relations, said she thought the College Republicans representatives were well-spoken and made effective arguments.
“I feel like they answered everything really well and their rebuttals were awesome,” Stewart said.
Stewart believes the conversations the debate sparked were good in encouraging people to consider other points of view.
“These kinds of things are really healthy for people to come, listen to and hear out both sides,” Stewart said. “So I think it’s really good for Auburn students to come and watch this happen.”
College Democrats secretary Seth Johnson, freshman in pre-business, said he was impressed with the number of people who attended the event. He commended the on-stage participants for a respectful discussion.
“I didn’t see any bad things,” Johnson said. “There were people I disagree with, but everyone got along and nothing got out of hand.”
Spectrum programs director Lucas Copeland, senior in psychology, said overall he enjoyed the debate.
“I felt like parts of it were rhetoric-focused, and I would have enjoyed more detailed answers and policy positions being taken and contested,” Copeland said.
Copeland also said that sharing ideas can be just as important as discussing specific policy points.
“That’s always something that I’m looking for in a presidential candidate and in the debate format,” Copeland said.
Copeland said one thing he would have liked to hear that wasn’t mentioned was a discussion around Supreme Court cases pertaining to gender and sexuality in the workplace.
“Overall I enjoyed the debate,” Copeland said. “I enjoyed the hooting and the hollering and the energy in the room.”
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