The Susquehanna Room, located behind Myer Residence Hall, is often a place where celebrations are held and words of congratulations are exchanged. Academic departments gather to celebrate faculty and student achievements. Athletics hands out awards to its most improved and hard-working athletes, and Elizabethtown College Alumni joyously celebrate the union of marriage in this room.
On Oct. 9, Dr. E. Fletcher McClellan, dean of faculty and professor of political science, and Dr. W. Wesley McDonald, professor of political science, used the room to debate their viewpoints during a Community Enrichment Lecture, “Election 2012: Why this Election May Change Everything.”  The debate left all 115 attendees picking a side, Democrats or Republicans.
McDonald may have been sitting on the left side of Susquehanna Room, but his thoughts remained on the right.  “[Presidential candidate Mitt] Romney originally allowed [President Barack] Obama to define him as a flip-flopping out-of-touch plutocrat,” McDonald began his argument to the audience. He quickly clarified and said, “The first presidential debate was like watching a face off between the class show off and the class nerd; one thought it was cool to appear on David Letterman and the other prepared like crazy for the debate. Republicans now have restored confidence in their candidate.”
“Obama promised us he would turn this economy around or he would be a one-term president. I hope he keeps that promise,” McDonald said as the audience chuckled at the speaker’s argument for Romney.
McDonald focused his debate on the current state of the economy and how Obama is not making improvements. McDonald stated, “15 percent of people are unemployed, 47 million are on food stamps, 1.16 trillion is the current deficit and the gross domestic product is down to 1.3 percent. In normal circumstances, Obama would be history.”
“Election 2012 has become a choice election,”  McDonald said.  “Those that want to turn America back to the way it was, against those that want to turn us more into Europe.” Republicans want to reduce the cost of living for our future generations and give hope for a better economy; McDonald believes Republicans will be the ones to do that.
McDonald thinks Romney has given America a hint of what a leader looks like during the first presidential debate; he was cool and charismatic and has the necessary understanding of economics and business.
In rebuttal to McDonald’s views, McClellan addressed McDonald’s points as he defended his choice presidential candidate, Obama.
McClellan was the first to admit that Obama’s performance during the first presidential debate was not up to par. This, however, is not the first time Obama faltered in a debate, and it is not unusual for a president to lose a reelection debate.
McClellan compared Obama to former president Ronald Reagan during his rebuttal. Reagan also lost his first presidential debate in 1984. During Reagan’s first debate against Walter Mondale, he was on trial for his mental and physical capacity. Obama is considered to be on trial after his first debate because he did not appear to be fighting for his job. McClellan brought to the audience’s attention that Obama’s economic report compared to Reagan presidency’s economic recovery report.
McClellan then began listing all of Obama’s achievements saying the president has been, “expanding healthcare coverage to thirty million Americans, making investments in education reform, creating clean energy, cutting taxes for 95 percent of the population, rescuing the automobile industry and creating a way to sustain economic growth for the future.” McClellan stated this is enough to get him reelected into office. Many audience members agreed, clapping and nodding.
McClellan takes Obama’s achievements and compares them to how he could be considered conservative. “Obama followed the timeline of withdrawal of troops from Iraq, continued the War in Afghanistan and even intensified efforts in the War on Terror such as the Navy Seal raid that took out Osama Bin Laden.”
“What I tried to do is make the case that President Obama in his first term has been more the agent of continuity, a problem solver rather than a major change,”  McClellan said to conclude his debate.
McDonald gave a final rebuttal to McClellan’s debate, which included McDonald saying he has never been as boring in class as Obama was during the first presidential debate.  McClellan was quick to jump on that comment, and asked if any of McDonald’s students in the audience would like to comment.
McClellan and McDonald finished their debate by taking questions from the audience.  They jokingly stated they might answer questions out of their strict left wing or right wing debate characters.
Knowing that this may be the last time they debate the presidential candidates after being colleagues for thirty years, McClellan and McDonald shook hands and patted each other on the shoulder, and walked from the podium.