On Wednesday night, UCLA students, along with the state and
country, witnessed the top five front-runners of the upcoming
recall election discuss, debate and attack each other on important
issues facing the state.
From the economy to health care for undocumented workers’
children, UCLA students watched to see Arnold Schwarzenegger debate
with the other candidates for the first time and become better
informed about the recall candidates’ positions.
John Gyllenhammer, a first-year pre-political science student,
was prompted to watch the debate by Schwarzenegger’s
presence.
“I was interested in seeing Arnold (Schwarzenegger) debate
and getting a more informed decision,” Gyllenhammer said.
During the course of the debate, Gyllenhammer believed Lt. Gov.
Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic recall candidate, seemed smug,
noting his “condescending, smiling and disrespectful”
behavior toward Schwarzenegger. However, Gyllenhammer said
Bustamante presented a good plan to help the ailing California
economy.
“Bustamante’s plan was good, but (Republican state
Sen. Tom) McClintock’s was better,” he said.
Gyllenhammer said he intends to vote for the recall and then for
Schwarzenegger.
Some people enjoyed the format of the debate.
“I felt the debate was free-flowing and felt more like a
discussion,” Nicholas Corpuz said, a third-year international
development studies student and external vice president of Bruin
Democrats.
Corpuz added the debate demonstrated Schwarzenegger’s
ineptitude to be governor.
“Arnold has proven himself as a non-viable candidate. If I
was a Republican, I’d vote for McClintock,” he
said.
Fourth-year sociology Norma Fernandez said she also enjoyed the
back-and-forth nature of the debate but believed the candidates
were straying from the issues at hand.
“The candidates seemed to stray from the topics. … Any
issue usually ended in a discussion about the economy,” she
said.
Although Fernandez intends to vote against the recall and for
Bustamante, she said she found McClintock and Peter Camejo, the
Green Party candidate, as informed and legitimate candidates.
Some of the issues discussed during Wednesday’s debate
resonated deeply with some students.
Miriam Ruiz, a fourth-year sociology student, paid particular
attention to the candidates’ positions on health care for
immigrant children. Ruiz immigrated to the United States from
Guatemala 14 years ago and feels strongly about the conditions of
undocumented immigrants.
She said she was pleased when some candidates expressed their
support for including immigrants in California’s society.
“It was great to see the candidates acknowledge how
important immigrants are to our state’s economy,” she
said.