True to the roots of the overtly Democratic state of Massachusetts, there appeared to be little support for the Republican President among students in the crowd.
The Daily Collegian was unable to find a Bush supporter among the people watching the event at the caf�, which featured the first debate between the two candidates on a large projection screen.
"I think Kerry smoked Bush," said Stephanie Costa, a sophomore Communications major. "Bush definitely seemed really intimidated, it seemed obvious with his gestures."
"Kerry was very poised. He seemed like he was really paying attention to what's going on," she said.
The students in attendance apparently were sharing the opinion of the majority of Americans who watched the debate, according to a CBS News poll. The network showed the result of the poll minutes after the debate ended, indicating that 51 percent of those polled said they felt Kerry had a strong plan of action for the war in Iraq, while only 35 percent felt the same about Bush. It should be noted, though, that early polls are unscientific and their reliability is often lessened due to their time constraints.
Jenny Herbert, a senior Sociology major, said that she would rather see Kerry's plan for Iraq go into action than continue Bush's current plan.
"I'm completely opposed to the war. The results of the war so far have sickened me," she said.
The University Democrats, an on-campus student group, organized the debate viewing. The UMass Republican Club did not appear to be in attendance at the event, though no survey was taken. University Democrats director Pat MacLeod put together the event.
"I extended an invite to the Republican Club three times and no one showed," MacLeod said.
MacLeod stood by his Democratic stance on the election while commenting about the debates.
"I think President Bush had only international issues on his mind. His issues are based on promoting unquestioned American power abroad," he said. "I don't think he cares about domestic issues."
In response to questions about his thoughts on Kerry, MacLeod reiterated his support for the Bay State's junior senator.
"[Kerry] made sure to relate to the core concerns of the general public. He's not afraid to uncover Bush's irrationality and lack of responsibility," he said.
In the midst of the recent on-campus controversy regarding the University's Student Government Association, MacLeod took the opportunity of the debate to mention that the University Democrats would like to help appoint more student Democrats to the SGA.
In response to the question of whether the University Democrats would take advantage of newly appointed SGA seats as a result of the recent controversy, MacLeod explained that his group is very dedicated to helping student Democrats become elected to senate seats.
"We are willing to back all Democratic Senators who are running and we'll put any and all resources behind [their] campaigns," he said.
According to MacLeod, four Senators have been in contact and two general meetings have been held so far.
