Anyone who attended last night's debate with even limited knowledge of the second congressional district candidates U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Republican challenger Ron Greer probably expected impassioned debate and clear distinctions before the evening was over.
And while the debate itself was conducted in reasonably civil fashion, perhaps on such a politically charged campus, the cheers, hisses, boos and loaded questions were inevitable.
The presence of strong opinions, however, does not excuse blatantly rude behavior to candidates in a formal setting geared toward the free exchange of ideas. The majority of debate-goers were commendably courteous throughout the forum, remarkably so when divisive views emerged on such issues as abortion, specific civil rights legislation extended on the basis of sexual orientation and U.S. foreign policy concerning Iraq. One might have hoped as much from some of the candidates' most ardent followers.
Audience aside, though, the candidates' exchange was strikingly low-key and each demonstrated vastly different perspectives.
It became evident that the rest of the election will be a referendum on government trust: Greer clearly supports privatization and the Republican party line. Baldwin, almost without exception, supports traditionally liberal stances. While each candidate has patently partisan positions, students who attended the debate probably found Baldwin's stances nearer to their own ideology on the basis of her support for increasing federal financial aid and embryonic stem-cell research without reservation. Although we fundamentally disagree with many of Greer's stances, we found his logic surprisingly strong.
With such political distinction, apathy is no excuse not to vote.
