UW-Madison College Democrats and College Republicans faced off in a debate Thursday night over issues including healthcare, the economy, the environment and education in the basement of the Humanities building.
The debate, sponsored by the Bipartisan Issue Group and the Wisconsin Union Directorate for Society and Politics, was monitored by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of political science Ken Mayer and included four-member panels from both student organizations.
Healthcare was the first topic discussed, as both sides debated Gov. Scott Walker’s policies on implementing the Affordable Care Act in Wisconsin and his stance on women’s health.
According to Hayley Young, the chairwoman of the College Democrats, “Scott Walker failed to set up a healthcare exchange in Wisconsin,” claiming he “chose to not set it up in such a way as to make it easier to access.”
Marie Jolly, speaking for the College Republicans, responded by saying the Affordable Care Act actually was “creating more bureaucracy in healthcare, which is decreasing access to healthcare.”
Discussion later turned to Walker’s promise to create 250,000 jobs in Wisconsin over his first term in office.
Alex Schultz, the membership coordinator for the College Democrats, claimed “Walker has failed on his promise to create 250,000 jobs,” and described him as a “career politician who has no interest in the success in the state beyond his own personal gains.”
Ryan Grunwald, a member of College Republicans, responded by acknowledging that “250,000 jobs was the goal, and unfortunately we didn’t achieve that goal.” Instead, Grunwald pointed to the budget surplus and improved economy since Walker took office.
The two-year University of Wisconsin System tuition freeze also became a subject of discussion, as College Republicans Chairman Charlie Hoffman said of Walker, “he’s advocated for freezing it for another two years,” and that the “University needs to be able to manage their money a little bit more.”
Alex Morgan, the data director for the College Democrats, responded by calling the tuition freeze a “stop-gap measure” and called for “a comprehensive plan that allows past students to refinance their debt, keeps tuition low for current students and makes it so that incoming students know what they’re getting into with the financial burden.”
Professor Mayer wrapped up the debate by asking each side, in a show of bipartisanship, to name something positive about the candidate of the opposite party.
Hoffman, speaking for the Republicans, acknowledged Burke’s work with the Dane County Boys and Girls Club. Young commended Walker for enacting Autism Speaks, an advocacy initiative.
Burke and Walker will face each other in a final debate Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Milwaukee before the Nov. 4 election.
