Dr. Kyle Kopko, the director of pre-law, director of the political philosophy and legal studies major, assistant director of political science, and advisor of the Elizabethtown College’s Republican Club, feels that not enough people are staying up to date with the upcoming presidential election. “It’s the reason why we are deadlocked at the national level. People just are not as engaged as they used to be,” he said.
Junior and president of the Republican Club Jason Halberstadt agrees: “I feel like it’s important for people to stay up to date, and involved with politics. Most people just are not informed … they need to do the simple things like read the newspaper, go online and stay up-to-date with current political events.”
In an attempt to inspire enthusiasm on-campus, both the Republican Club and Elizabethtown College Democrats are trying to coordinate their own debate with two professors from both sides. The most recent debate brought in over 100 students and professors from all majors and is one of the bigger on-campus events that the clubs host. This year, for the first time in a long time, the Republican Club is also creating a float for the homecoming parade. All these efforts are meant to get the word out about the power of voting.
In terms of off-campus efforts, some volunteers in the club work for the Lancaster County Republican Committee, where they take time out of their week to make phone calls for Mitt Romney’s campaign. Others go to rallies and other events to help support Romney’s presidential campaign.
For those interested in watching the upcoming debate, Kopko mentioned that the two clubs and any others who are interested usually do so in the Brinser Lecture Room. The debate promises to be exciting and captivating for members of either political party.
“Mitt Romney is going to have a very tough debate ahead of him because the president is very skilled, but at the same time, Mitt Romney has been able to debate continuously throughout the primary season … he really has to deliver a top-notch performance,” Kopko said.
He believes that “Although Mitt Romney is a good debater, as people have found out during the primary, President Obama is very articulate, and a very good debater, and it will be hard to tell who will win the debate.”
Kopko does not foresee a change in the public opinion in the time before the election. “The only thing that this debate would change is if one candidate is looking extremely better than the other,” Kopko said. “The only other thing would be if the economy were to completely flip-flop.
“Usually when the economy is good, voters tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the President in office. But when it’s bad, people tend to think — has the President done enough for me? Is it working now? And is it time for a change?” Kopko said.
This final question may challenge many students to consider more closely the accomplishments of the Obama Administration. You may want to ask yourself: “Has President Obama done enough for me?”