Over 70 Bernie Sanders supporters met in Porter Hall on Tuesday to watch the Vermont senator go head to head with Hillary Clinton and three other Democratic presidential candidates.
Members of Athens for Bernie Sanders had several reasons to be concerned when they met in Ohio University’s Porter Hall on Tuesday night.
One was that they were about to watch their candidate go head to head for the first time with four other Democratic presidential candidates in Las Vegas. The other was that the live-stream for the debate wasn’t working.
“That was my worst nightmare,” Nathaniel Wallace, founder of the group, said. “But luckily, at a college campus like this, there’s always some tech guy to sort things out.”
Gaura Rader, an OU graduate student, told the event’s attendees not to peg too many of their hopes for the Vermont senator on Tuesday’s event.
“Even if it doesn’t go perfectly for Bernie tonight it’s important to keep enthusiastic and not get discouraged,” he said.
The debate turned on just as Sanders was about to give his opening remarks, which were met by applause from the event’s about 70 attendees.
The debate itself pitted Sanders against Democratic front-runner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as fellow candidates Maryland Gov. Martin O’ Malley, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
Wallace said one of the most memorable moments of the night for him was Sanders’ response to questions about Clinton’s use of a personal email account to conduct official government business.
That issue has been a major topic of discussion during Clinton’s campaign.
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“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” Sanders said.
The response generated the longest applause of the night, both in Las Vegas and in Porter Hall.
Clinton and Sanders also debated college tuition rates, with Sanders advocating for free tuition across the board.
“This is the year 2015,” Sanders said. “A college degree today is the equivalent of what a high school degree 50 years ago. Back then, we were concerned about making sure everyone got a high school diploma. I think we have to say that is true for everyone going to college.”
Clinton advocated for a plan that would cut interest rates for college students, but not necessarily offer free tuition.
She said she thought universities should work to keep costs down, but that college students should also work 10 hours a week.
“I think it’s important for everyone to have some sort of hand in getting this accomplished,” she said.
The debate also touched on marijuana legalization, an issue that will come to a vote in Ohio during the November elections.
“I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed (due to) nonviolent offenses,” Sanders said.
The Athens event also gave attendees an opportunity to speak about other issues that they cared about — both locally and nationally.
At the start of the event, independent city council candidate Pat McGee, spoke in order to offer his support of Sanders, and to garner support for his own campaign.
“I’ve watched a lot of politicians over the years it’s been a long long time since I’ve trusted a politician,” McGee said. “I know more than anything else he’s going to need the continued support of everyone who’s supporting him now.”
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McGee, who is the managing attorney for the Center for Student Legal services, said he thought council could benefit from having a member who had legal experience and could speak for the town’s student population.
He said he was optimistic about student participation in this year’s election due to the marijuana legalization measure that will be on the ballot.
Sara Quoia, an Athens resident and marijuana legalization advocate, contested McGee’s statement, arguing that the proposal on this year’s ballot would only benefit wealthy investors.
“It’s not right for business, it’s not right for farmers, it’s not right for patients,” Quoia said.
Wallace said the group likely won’t hold another watch party for the five remaining Democratic debates, and criticised the National Democratic Committee chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for her choice to hold the rest of the debates on weekends.
”It was pretty successful,” he said. “But the rest of the debates won’t be happening during the week … There won’t probably be another time for us to do this.”
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