Netters spike
Beavers
See Page 9
Oregon daily
emeral
Monday, October 8, 1984
EuRene, Oregon
Volume 86. Number 27
Reagan and Mondale
collide in first debate
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ronald
Reagan and Walter Mondale collided
over economics, leadership and the
politics of religion in their first cam
paign debate Sunday night, with the
president ridiculing Mondale’s deficit
reduction plan and the aggresive
challenger charging that Reagan’s
budget estimates have been “billions
and billions of dollars off.”
Mondale, far behind in the polls and
hoping to rebound, unveiled an ag
gressive debating style from the start.
“I respect the president and I respect
the presidency and I think he knows
that,” Mondale said of Reagan as he
discussed the president's claim that the
budget can be balanced without a tax
hike. But he added that deficit estimates
from the administration have been off
“by billions and billions of dollars.”
Mondaie belittled Reagan’s responses
about how his administration has
shepherded the economy and domestic
programs.
"I guess I'm reminded a little bit of
what Will Rogers once said about
Hoover.” Mondale said. “He said, ‘It's
not what he doesn’t know that bothers
me, it’s what he knows for sure but just
ain’t so.”
Reagan went into the debate a solid
favorite in the polls, and he struck a
presidential pose.
He told the television audience
estimated at 100 million viewers that he
^ad instructed his advisers to “never”
raise political ramifications of issues
when they discuss them with him in the
Oval Office.
The two men clashed over the role of
religion and politics.
The president responded to a question
of how often he attended church by say
ing he has been a regular worshiper all
his life. Now that he is president, he
—i
said, he does not go often because of
security concerns for others.
He did not answer the question about
why he did not bring a minister into the
White House, as then-President Nixon
did.
Mondale attacked the Republicans and
conservative religious groups for their
involvement in issues such as a proposal
for a school prayer amendment to the
Constitution. He said the Republican
platform calls for a “religious test” for
Supreme Court justices and referred to
the Rev. Jerry FalweU’s statement that
this rule will give the New Right two
justices.
But Reagan said he had appointed on
ly one justice so far in his first term —
and used the opportunity to appoint San
dra Day O'Connor, the first woman ever
named to the highest court.
The candidates clashed on Social
Security, with Reagan vowing that while
“a president should never say never.. .1
will never stand for a reduction of the
Social Security benefits for the people
that are now getting them.”
Mondale, who has charged that
Reagan favors just such cuts, said that
after the 1980 election, with just such a
promise on the record. Reagan proposed
cuts of 25 percent in some Social Securi
ty programs. Mondale said that while
spending cuts are needed, “I’m not go
ing to cut it out of Social Security and
Medicare and student assistance and
things people need.”
Both men were applauded for their
pledge on Social Security, just as they
drew a standing ovation when they
entered the Kentucky Center for the Arts
for their 90-minute televised debate,
their first of the campaign.
Mondale, asked about leadership,
rebuked Reagan over the terrorist attach
on the U.S. embassy in Beirut.
Photo by Ross Martin
More than 50 people attended the “America for Mondale-Ferraro Party ”
during Sunday night’s debate. This was one of 20,000 such parties
throughout the nation authorized and paid for by the Democratic National
Committee.
See related story Page 3.
Classes halt
for autumn
Convocation
University students may find
themselves in a no class situation
today if they plan to attend after
noon lectures.
Because of convocation at 1:30
p.m., all classes from 1:00 p.m. to
5:20 p.m. are canceled.
The campus community is in
vited to hear Joseph Sax, professor
of law at the University of
Michigan, speak on “Reviving the
Law of the Good Old Days" at 1:30
in McArthur Court. Eight seminars
dealing with legal and environ
mental subjects will be held in
Gilbert Hall following the
ceremony.
Convocation is the annual event
that marks the opening of the new
academic year.
On Tuesday, though, it will be
business as usual with classes back
in full swing.
Professors grade presidential debate
By Paul Ertelt
Of the Emerald
The format of Sunday’s confrontation
between Pres. Ronald Reagan and his
Democratic challenger Walter Mondale
was not actually a debate, says speech
Prof. Charley Leistner, but it “worked
out very well.”
Leistner and Paul Holbo, vice-provost
and history professor, commented on the
debate in telephone interviews Sunday
night.
During the debate held in Louisville,
Ky., the candidates responded to ques
tions from Fred Barnes of the Baltimore
Sun, James Wieghart of Scripps-Howard
News Service and Diane Sawyer of CBS.
Barbara Walters of ABC moderated the
debate.
Both professors admitted they spoke
from a partisan perspective. Holbo sup
ports Reagan, and Leistner supports
Mondale.
Holbo doubts whether the debate will
have much of an effect on the outcome of
this election, while Leistner said it may
help Mondale some, if not dramatically.
“Usually, the challenger has the most
to gain (from a debate),” Holbo said. “It
puts him up there on the same level as
the incumbent.”
Reagan had everything to lose and
nothing to gain,” he added. “For Mon
dale, the reverse is true.”
Mondale used that advantage as much
as possible, showing poise, style, and
aggressiveness. Leistner said.
“Mondale demonstrated quite clearly
there is no weakness in his candidacy or
in him as a candidate that anyone should
worry about,” Leistner said.
”1 was pleased with Mondale’s final
statement,” he said. “He did make the
point that we either are or aren’t a selfish
nation.”
But Leistner also saw some weak
points in Mondale’s performance. Mon
dale should have better clarified the dif
ference between having personal
religious beliefs and allowing those
beliefs to affect presidential politics, he
said.
“I wasn’t pleased that he didn’t talk
more about civil rights, the attempt to
kill the voting rights act and the
women’s rights question,” he added.
Mondale’s strongest point was his at
tack on the federal deficit, Holbo said.
But Reagan gained points when he talk
ed about interest rates, employment
figures and the rate of inflation, he said.
Holbo expressed his reservations
about having televised presidential
debates.
“In 1976, Pres. Ford slipped about
Poland and that might have cost him the
election,” Holbo said. “I don’t want to
see an election turn on a little slip.”
In the 1960 presidential campaign bet
ween John F. Kennedy and Richard Nix
on, the debates also had a major impact,
Holbo said.
Many observers believe that Nixon’s
appearance, looking like he had not
shaved, put him at a disadvantage in the
televised debate. Polls at the time show
those who watched the debate on televi
sion thought Kennedy the winner, while
those who listened to it on the radio
favored Nixon.
“This time it won’t be crucial, because
no one blundered,” Holbo said.
One benefit of the debates is they give
a summary of the candidates’ positions
for those who have not been following
the race, Holbo said, but neither can
didate “said anything he hasn’t said a
dozen times before.”
Both professors agreed that the
reporters questioning the candidates did
a good job.
“The questions were not soft and they
did get to follow up on them,” Leistner
said.