Dr. Dan Caldwell, distinguished professor of Political Science at Seaver College, and Dr. Robert Kaufman, professor of Public Policy at the School of Public Policy, faced off in a mock presidential debate. Caldwell represented the Obama-Biden position, with Kaufman representing the Romney-Ryan position.
The Malibu Democratic Club and Malibu Bel-Air Republican Women Federated hosted the event in Smothers Theater last night in anticipation of the upcoming November elections.
The intent of the debate, according to Caldwell, was to inform those in attendance about the issues currently being discussed between the two parties, with the added intention of persuasion.
“On the one hand, I want to inform people about the positions of the two candidates in as accurate a way as possible, and then I’m hoping that, if that presentation is accurate, that people will decide that President Obama is the best choice,” Caldwell said.
Kaufman also had a similar goal in mind with regard to the intent of the debate.
“I think it’s more for information and to show students, and the community at large, that Pepperdine has an intelligent, informed base,” Kaufman said.
At the beginning of the debate, Caldwell noted that while it may seem counter-intuitive to have two interlocutors representing a biased political view for an objective debate like this, both of them agreed the method was ultimately the most preferable.
“For a debate like this, it’s much better to have people representing the candidate they prefer rather than just a debate technique,” Kaufman said.
And the audience seemed to be in agreement. Both Caldwell and Kaufman spoke with fervency as informed intermediaries for both the Obama and Romney platforms.
The professors covered a wide variety of topics ranging from domestic and foreign policy to environmental protection with both professors presenting a bare bones assessment of both candidates’ views.
Kaufman spoke in great detail about Romney’s foreign policy plans highlighting his call to reestablish American preeminence and heavily increase military and defense spending. He also proactively addressed potential foreign threats to American safety such as a growing, and increasingly more hostile, China.
Caldwell also spoke extensively about Obama’s foreign policy defending him on such issues as the war in Iraq, which he is credited for bringing to a close; bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice; winding down the war in Afghanistan and attempting to promote a more humble, peace-driven American effort abroad.
Despite Caldwell’s efforts to represent the democratic position, it was clear that the audience was more receptive to Kaufman’s position.
For example, the audience responded favorably to the position articulated by Kaufman regarding environmental priorities where Kaufman argued that reducing dependence on foreign oil should take precedence over all other environmental issues.
Caldwell, on the other hand, was not as well received as he defended the position that environmental reform, such as increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency or stricter regulations on mileage per gallons requirements for vehicles, should be more of a priority given that the environment will be a big issue for future generations of Americans.
The debate was moderated by Rabbi Levi Cunin, co-director and Rabbi of Chabad of Malibu, and included a panel of four mediators from various news sources around the Malibu area, including The Graphic.
After a short Q&A with the audience, the event closed with a prayer from Rabbi Cunin.
Caldwell’s areas of expertise include International Relations, U.S. foreign policy, International Security and Arms Control and U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and Iraq. He has written extensively on the topics of domestic and foreign policy in the U.S.
Kaufman’s areas of expertise include American foreign policy, national security, presidential politics, elections and international relations. He has also written extensively on American politics.
