The Conservative Union at Dartmouth and the Young Democrats held a rare joint session last night as both groups gathered in Streeter Hall basement to watch the televised debate about the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The debate featured Vice President Al Gore defending the agreement against attacks from Texas billionaire Ross Perot on CNN's "Larry King Live."
Most of the students watching the debate said they thought Gore made a more persuasive case than Perot.
Two CUaD members said Gore won, but CUaD member Thomas Guevin '95 said he felt the Congressional vote in eight days will not be influenced by this debate.
"Gore won the debate, but the war in the House is yet to begin, and the opponents in the House are in a different class than Ross Perot," Guevin said.
Ryan Boyle '97, a CUaD member, said, "Vice President Gore gave an excellent, very balanced argument for NAFTA. Perot gave a lot of snappy one liners."
Members of the Young Democrats also said Gore won the debate.
Tim Edgar '94, a member of the Young Democrats, called the debate a "landslide" in favor of Gore. "I thought Perot would do a better job. I was impressed with Gore's charts," Edgar said.
To start off the debate, Perot used color photographs and diagrams to demonstrate that Americans are hard workers.
Perot countered Gore's attacks with a visual aid showing a pie chart diagramming the amount of "real trade" to "phony trade" with Mexico.
Many students in the basement wondered what phony trade was.
Most of the audience was also amused with Perot one-liners like, "All these Mexican workers want is to be able to build an outhouse."
Others laughed at Perot instead of with him.
"He makes me sick," Susie Kim '96 said.
Another student mocked Perot, making references to his previous claims that Cubans were out to assassinate him.
"I wish the Cubans would have pulled the trigger," Karaly Perez '96 said.
