Last night’s presidential debate between incumbent Republican candidate President George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry – the last to occur before the election on Nov. 2 – ran the gamut of domestic issues.

Although the focus was on issues such as health care and the economy, talk often spilled over into other topics, such as Iraq and outsourcing of jobs. Traditionally, Democrats have had the advantage in the domestic arena, but many called the debate a tie.

‘I don’t think either one delivered a knockout punch,’ Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an international relations professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Bush and Kerry spent little time on the issue of education, but both supported increased attention to the issue, especially for elementary and secondary levels.

‘I’ve got more to do to continue to raise standards, to continue to reward teachers and school districts that are working, to emphasize math and science in the classrooms, to continue to expand Pell Grants to make sure that people have an opportunity to start their career with a college diploma,’ Bush said.

Bush and Kerry also tackled the issue of affirmative action.

‘Kerry put himself squarely behind a policy that a lot of Americans have announced or expressed as outmoded, almost,’ said Rogan Kersh, a political science professor at Maxwell. ‘Bush ducked the question entirely. He said one sentence about affirmative action … and went on to talk about No Child Left Behind again.’

The economy figured prominently in the debate, as Kerry challenged Bush’s policies over his term in office, focusing on statistics that say under Bush’s presidency, 1.6 million jobs have been lost, making him the first president in 72 years to incur a net job loss.

‘(Bush) has got to succeed at something that he has not succeeded in so far, which is convincing more Americans that the recovery is for real, the economic recovery is for real, and that more jobs and good jobs are going to be created,’ said Professor Charlotte Grimes, a political reporter since 1984 and the Knight Chair in Political Reporting at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Bush said he doubted that Kerry could keep his promise of not raising taxes while funding the proposed health care and education initiatives that he promises.

‘There is a tax gap. And guess who usually ends up filling the tax gap?’ Bush said. ‘The middle class.’

The debate over same-sex unions also became a prominent issue. Bush staunchly opposed the idea, arguing that it would alter the basic nature and sanctity of marriage.

‘…As we respect someone’s rights, and as we profess tolerance, we shouldn’t change – or have to change – our basic views on the sanctity of marriage,’ Bush said.

Kerry, likewise, did not endorse same-sex marriage on the level of current unions, but allowed for a legal partnership, or same-sex union.

‘You can’t discriminate in the rights that you afford people. You can’t disallow someone the right to visit their partner in a hospital. You have to allow people to transfer property, which is why I’m for partnership rights and so forth,’ Kerry said.

The issue of same-sex marriage is divisive among the politicians’ constituencies, playing heavily into how they presented their positions, according to Kersh.

‘Well over half of Americans oppose gay marriage.’ Kersh said. ‘I think that’s why Kerry has this carefully formulated position that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. He always leads with that formulation.’

Bush maintained his assertions that America would not be safer under Kerry, and that the military actions undertaken by the Bush administration were necessary and added to global stability.

‘This is Bush’s great strength. This is what we know about most Americans is they believe Bush to be a much stronger figure on homeland security. He still has upwards of 60 percent in most polls on who will keep the nation safer and stronger,’ Kersh said.

Kerry repeated his assertions that Bush has failed by not pursing Osama bin Laden and losing focus on the war on terror. He said that being more inclusive of other nations in the Iraq reconstruction would allow a faster U.S. withdrawal.

‘So we can do a better job of homeland security,’ Kerry said. ‘I can do a better job of waging a smarter, more effective war on terror and guarantee that we will go after the terrorists.’

Published on October 13, 2004 at 12:00 pm