On Tuesday night in Pick-Staiger Auditorium, onetime presidential hopeful and former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean and former Senator Rick Santorum squared off. Despite claiming to agree on the majority of issues, Dean and Santorum clashed over the state of the country, the role of the youth, LGBT issues — and even disagreed over the ideal level of disagreement in politics. As the debate progressed from general ideological differences and President Obama to more specific issues like the deficit and terrorism, the tone of the debate became more conversational and relaxed. In particular, both men generally agreed on Israel, the importance of the deficit and the threat of terrorism.
Throughout the course of the debate, sponsored by College Republicans and College Democrats, several key themes emerged:
Future Prospects
Perhaps still riding the wave of the 2008 election, Dean appeared more optimistic about the political future. In his opening statement Dean said, “the long-term future of this country is in great shape,” but warned young Americans to keep up the political activity. Santorum was unconvinced. He admitted that he was “moved” by Obama’s “amazing story,” but implored the audience to examine the results of his presidency. “We have a very positive [young] generation, but one that I think needs to be more discerning.”
Dean may be more satisfied with the current administration than Santorum, but he lamented the polarization of today’s political landscape.
Dean and Santorum both warned of the danger of the deficit, but disagreed at points on the causes of the deficit. Santorum harped on increased government spending, social security and health care reform, all part of his greater campaign against a society built on entitlements. He concluded, “Great success and failure made this country what it is. America will fail if we don’t allow people to fail and falter.”
Despite his status as a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, Dean disagreed with Santorum’s on removing the federal safety net from Americans. As governor of Vermont, Dean expanded state-provided health care, and as a presidential candidate, health care reform was a main campaign issue. Throughout the night, he defended President Obama’s health care reform and insisted that the economy would be much worse were it not for the bailouts. Dean offered a wide range of measures to cut the deficit, which he called the single greatest problem in the United States. “You’re going to have to raise taxes on people who make a lot of money, you’re going to have to make sure entitlement growth slows down,” he said. “You’re going to have to cut down on the Pentagon.”
Youth Mentality
Reacting both to audience demographics and the moderator’s questions, Dean and Santorum were both prompted to comment on the idea of youth and the role of young people in America. Both speakers noted the trend of young people being less judgmental, but they diverged over the value of this reticence.
“You are reticent to say that something is wrong,” Santorum said. “But you have to be discerning and see if things are really good for you and America. There are good things and not good things.”
Dean embraced the culture of inclusiveness more openly.
“I’m glad that you don’t make hard-line moral judgments about other people,” Dean said. “I think your views on respecting other people…is a very good thing for America.”
According to Dean, if the Republicans engage in continuous discrimination against the rising minorities in the country, “the Republicans will never get you [to change party affiliation].”
Santorum slapped on a different label: “moral relativism.” He justified his party’s policies by stating that there will always be a fixed dividing line in any moral issue.
“There are things worth fighting for because there has always been injustice in America,” Santorum said.
In a sweeping statement about all of the groups that the GOP supposedly targets, Dean asserted that “those are your friends and you’re not going to put up with it.”
While hundreds of actual young people intently listened, commentary about this silent majority permeated the entire debate.
Grading Obama
To no one’s surprise, Santorum and Dean’s perspectives on the first two years of the Obama presidency were some of the most heated points of contention.
Again, rising above all else was the issue of the massive federal deficit and its causes.
“What we’ve seen over the last two years is truly frightening,” Santorum began. “Democrats just shifted money from one pocket to the other and left you with the bill.”
Santorum said that, under the current administration, spending has risen to the historically high rate of 25 percent of America’s GDP. The deficit left from the Bush era was a product of the “dot-bomb” bubble burst and the costly but necessary War on Terror.
Dean reaffirmed his support for the president. He defended the government bailouts and federal spending as necessary for the prevention of an economic collapse far worse than the one currently afflicting Americans. In contrast, he viewed Americans’ frustration with Obama as the result of not enough being done, rather than too much.
Gays and Government
Dean and Santorum expressed the same foundational sentiments; discrimination against anyone based on sexual orientation is wrong and criminal, both agreed. They differed notably on who should be responsible for enforcing such accords. While Santorum maintained that the states are responsible, Dean felt that the issue carries federal weight.
The conversation then veered into highly contested territory, with each politician taking his place firmly within party lines. Dean readily equated gay rights to those of all mankind.
“If you’re not really ready to stand up for the rights for all people, you’re not ready to stand up for civil rights,” Dean said.
Referring to a gay soldier killed in combat, Dean said he wanted to see full rights for those who have sacrificed for America.
“If you’re willing to serve your country, you should have the same rights when you get home,” Dean said. These rights include same-sex marriages, Dean asserted, since “over 1,000 rights” are denied to gays with the denial of their ability to get married.
Likewise, Santorum deferred to his own party rhetoric. While gay rights should be upheld, he said, same-sex marriage is not a right. Since marriage is only valuable between one man and one woman, Santorum said, the extension of this institution to the homosexual community should not be guaranteed. In the most controversial moment of the night, Santorum defended denying marriage to homosexuals by saying the government should block marriage of polygamists and incestuous relationships.
“I don’t think we discriminate against gays any more than we discriminate against four people getting married…or a brother and a sister getting married,” Santorum said.
Beyond what he sees as the invalidity of same-sex marriages, Santorum declared that the argument against this institution also centers around the purpose of marriage as a channel for procreation. Santorum said he believes that child-raising is done most effectively with a mother and a father.
“Should we not have a society that encourages what is best for children?” Santorum said.
Mindful of Midterms
Another notable area of contention between the two politicians presented itself in their divergent midterm predictions. Dean foresaw a highly contested, but victorious race for Democrats in the House and Senate.
“I think it’s going to be a very close election, but we [will] win by four or five in the House and four or five in the Senate,” Dean said.
On the other hand, Santorum painted a much bleaker picture for incumbents and the majority party in both houses. Much like the major congressional shift for the GOP in 1994, Santorum said, Americans are angry with those in power, which will yield tumultuous effects for Dems in the House and Senate.
“It’s that [the Democrats] passed way too much, and they’ve done enormous damage to the freedom in this country,” Santorum said. “The American public is coming out in droves and saying, ‘This is too much government.’”
On the Tea Party, Santorum credited the group as a grassroots organization that largely represents the viewpoints of the American public in favoring limited government, while in some respects a little too strict in its interpretation of the Constitution. As a counter, while Dean acknowledged the “populist” sentiment behind the party, he characterized the group as one that lacks proper organization.
“I think it’s a great thing when the people want to stand up and take power in their own hands…but I don’t think [the Tea Party is] a coherent thing,” Dean said.
In Closing
By the end of the debate, they could have been mistaken for friends, not YouTube liabilities to each other, as they joked; when asked by moderator Professor Adam Goodman to give Santorum campaign advice, Dean quipped, “Don’t talk about the states you’re going to visit.”