Students filled more than two-thirds of the largest Wells Hall auditorium to hear members of MSU College Democrats and College Republicans make cases for their respective candidates Wednesday night.
The two major student political groups argued for nearly an hour in Wells Hall room B-108, interrupted only by brief pauses to hand out raffle prizes.
Playing on emotion, Democratic speaker Farhan Bhatti compared his own comfortable upbringing in suburban Detroit with the reality of life for many inner-city residents. He pointed to unaffordable health care and failing school districts.
"How is it that the richest country in the world can't take care of its people?" he asked. "Democrats believe in an America where we're all in this together."
Bhatti attacked Republican stances and President Bush's policies in Iraq. He said Bush waged war without international support and lack of evidence of weapons of mass destruction.
"We cannot afford any more $200 billion mistakes," he said, adding a comment about the number of soldiers killed in the War with Iraq. "Does the end really justify the means?"
But Mike Flis, representing the MSU College Republicans and Students for Bush, said President Bush has worked his hardest to bring the nation back from the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"We haven't come all this way - through tragedy, through trial and through war - only to falter and leave our work unfinished," Flis said.
Echoing the mood of many of Bush's recent speeches, Flis said the nation has been through a lot, and Bush is the only leader who is up to the task to lead the country for the next four years.
"He doesn't take sides, he doesn't falter, and he certainly doesn't take advice from the French," Flis said.
Flis also outlined Bush's plan to reduce interest rates on student loans, increase the number of Americans being served by community-health centers and hold schools accountable for their students' achievement through the No Child Left Behind Act.
Democratic speaker Stephen Purchase said the Republicans were right that the past years have challenged Americans' freedom and liberties, but those challenges were a result of the Bush administration's decisions.
His criticism of Attorney General John Ashcroft and the USA Patriot Act drew cheers from the crowd.
Many members of the audience - such as special education-learning disabilities junior Erin Allen - said their minds already were made up, but Allen came to hear both sides anyway. She plans to vote for Sen. John Kerry.
"I was trying to come in unbiased, but it seemed like the Democrats were stronger," she said. "They really spoke from the heart. It really reinforced my decision."
But physiology freshman Stephanie Zafiroff said Bhatti's speech was merely more negative rhetoric from the Democratic side.
"It was more of a rebuttal because he didn't introduce John Kerry's policies," Zafiroff said. "He took general views of issues that divide the country and resorted to Bush bashing."
Despite the fierce atmosphere during the debate, the political organizations helped lighten the mood a little by inviting the five-member band SafeWord to play music, and offering food, prizes and voter registration forms.
The two speakers for each party stuck around for a question-and-answer session with students.
The debate made an impression on James Madison freshman Meredith Immen, but she said her choice on Nov. 2 still is hazy.
"It was a good point how many countries are with us (in the War with Iraq)," she said, but added, "I just feel like we need to be doing something more about our economy and jobs."
