Weekly webcast hosts College Republicans, Democrats
Pub Politics co-hosts Democrat Phil Bailey and Republican Wesley Donehue aired their weekly webcast of political discourse at the Motor Supply Company Bistro Wednesday night, and USC students involved in politics joined as guests on the show.
Bailey and Donehue discussed Republican candidates tripping over their words in public. Last week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry couldn’t list three government agencies he would cut. He stopped at two and stuttered on the third.
Then, former businessman Herman Cain performed poorly on international affairs during the foreign policy debate in Spartanburg Saturday by assuming that China did not have nuclear weapons, and more recently by stumbling on the president’s policy in Libya.
College Republicans Recruitment Chairman Robert Sinners, a public administration graduate student, defended the candidates’ mistakes.
“A lot of the flubs are not really substance-related, they’re actually presentation-related,” Sinners said.
But being prepared to debate is crucial, argued fourth-year economics student Chase Levinson.
“Shouldn’t you be better? If you’re going to be President of the United States of America, shouldn’t you be prepared, shouldn’t you be good at debating?” he asked.
Donehue responded by saying Democrats want someone who gives a “damn good speech, looks good in a suit” and can speak well. “That’s what we have as President of the United States right now,” he said. “And look where it’s gotten us. That’s what you’re looking for? Boom, you got it.”
Donehue said that Cain proved he is completely unprepared to be commander in chief. As for Perry, it was a “human moment.”
“I was giving a speech in D.C. last week and I literally had three things to say and I forgot what the third one was the day after Perry. I had a Perry moment right after Perry had a Perry moment,” he said.