Everyone would like to watch a favorite athletic event or movie on a big screen television. But several Iowa State students decided against prime time hits on Wednesday night and watched the presidential debates on the big screen.

About 15 people gathered in Catt Hall Wednesday night for Debate Watch ’96, a program developed to get American voters talking about the candidates and issues.

Dianne Bystrom, Iowa coordinator for Debate Watch and director of the Catt Canter for Women in Politics, said the purpose of the program was to focus on the debate without listening to any media analysis.

After the 1992 election, Debate Watch was developed as a result of voter response from a study by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

Study participants said they preferred a variety of debate formats, including an in-depth debate and a town hall meeting, like Wednesday night’s debate.

Held in San Diego, Calif., the town hall meeting style on Wednesday allowed 113 Californians to be on stage with President Bill Clinton and Senator Bob Dole. The participants were chosen by Gallup, after a series of screenings in which they were identified as an undecided, cross-section of society, Bystrom said.

“This was the most popular format in 1992,” Bystrom said.

Debate Watch at ISU had several different reactions to the fairly new town hall meeting format and style. Kate Kjergaard, a freshman in journalism, said she thinks people should be voting according to policy. “It think it would be a lot better … to specialize in categories,” said Kjergaard. She also said that a variety of formats is also good. “You get to see how the candidates react in different settings.”

When asked which presidential candidate performed better in the town meeting style, the students started to show the candidate preferences.

Chad Barth, a freshman in political science, said both candidates beat around the bush. Barth cited Clinton’s response on Middle East involvement.

The president said he needs to know what the American people want before he sends troops to the area. Todd Van Ahn, a senior in speech communication, said that waiting to see what will happen is not necessarily a bad idea.

Kjergaard said she thought Clinton presented himself better than Dole did in the style and format because she thinks Clinton is a smoother speaker.

Kjergaard also noted that the debate was Dole’s last chance and that his answers weren’t as solid as Clinton’s answers were.

David Hansen, a freshman in political science, said he thought Dole did a good job of talking about his plans and “getting in the shots” at the same time.

Hansen also thinks that Dole’s efforts won’t make a big enough difference in the campaign.

Jeff Bodensteiner, a sophomore in liberal arts and sciences, said Clinton doesn’t need to make up any ground.

In addition to reactions about the presentation of the debate, Debate Watch participants said some important issues weren’t addressed as expected. One student said that although trade was a topic, foreign policy needed to be addressed more.

The ISU Debate Watch also touched on questions about whether the debate will change current public opinion. The group decided that the debate didn’t change any of their minds.

“The debates served to … strengthen the views and perceptions” Americans already had, Bystrom said.

Students also pointed out that most Americans have a “What can you do for me?” attitude toward candidates. “Everybody’s fueled by what they’re going to get,” Kjergaard said. “We’re lazy.”

A Moderator’s View

Bystrom, moderator for the event, said the town hall format is popular with both American viewers and voters.

But with this format, she noted, issues don’t get developed to the extent needed for citizens to understand them. Also, the candidates found themselves rebutting answers and not addressing the questions asked, Bystrom said. She called it a “schizophrenia” style.

Because the town hall audience consisted of Californians, Bystrom said, some of the issues were localized.

This is important to the campaign because of the weight California carries with 54 electoral votes.

Bystrom said although viewers and voters can identify with the town-hall format, she would like to see some return of the traditional format of the candidates asking each other questions. Focusing on a major issue or theme would also be interesting, Bystrom said.