And the debate winner is...
Dean was dead. Edwards lacked enthusiasm. Sharpton was funny. And the biggest winner in last month's nationally televised Democratic Presidential Debate may have been Greenville and Furman.
That's according to a group of political pundits who gathered in Daniel Recital Hall January 30, the morning after the debate, to discuss its impact on the coming primary and ultimately the election.
All agreed that while the performance of the candidates may be been underwhelming, the event was a positive headline grabber for Furman and Greenville.
Nearly 100 students and handful of Furman faculty and staff attended the discussion, which was moderated by political science professor Jim Guth. Other panel members included Emory University professor Merle Black, one of the nation's foremost authorities on Southern politics; Don Aiesi, professor of political science; Bud Kellstedt, visiting professor at Furman and professor emeritus of political science at Wheaton College; and Sean O'Rourke, professor of communication studies.
Although such issues as the Confederate flag, the NAACP boycott and Martin Luther King Holiday were raised at the end of the debate, Greenville, South Carolina and Furman seemed to leave a favorable impression with out-of-towners.
“Now, I may be a Yankee outsider,” said Kellstedt, “but I would say that this was a very exciting event for Greenville. A lot of South Carolina pride came out in the debate.”
Furman, mentioned on national television by debate moderator Tom Brokaw, received its share of publicity after the debate as journalists streamed into the Westin Poinsett to interview candidates, campaign managers and pundits.
O'Rourke, Guth, Black, Aiesi, business and economics professor Ken Peterson, political science professors Danielle Vinson, Don Gordon and John Simpkins, and some Furman students were interviewed after the debate by national media.
“We were interviewed by the New York Times , CNN, NPR, The Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal ,” said Gordon. “There must have been 60 interviews with our people.”
Vince Moore, director of media relations, said the debate generated nearly as much press coverage for Furman as October's forum on women in politics, which featured New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“Had the debate actually been hosted by Furman, the university's name would have been used in the lead of every article and at the top of every broadcast story,” says Moore. “The city and Peace Center received more mentions, but Furman, of course, got its share too.”
Gordon, director of the Riley Institute, said that more than 100 students — Republicans and Democrats — and a handful of staff members served as volunteers.
“We are non-partisan, and we had kids regardless of their political leanings taking part in this,” said Gordon. “They loved it; being involved in something like this is priceless.”
Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
