Clinton and Obama in Texas

I had the pleasure of attending the debate here on campus last night (one of the privileges of being dean) and was most impressed with both candidates – their intelligence and ability to debate on their feet in front of a large audience suggested to me that both these folks are very able. Equally impressive was the CNN operation that turned a recreation hall into a TV venue in a matter of days, setting up everything from the stage to the security process, which I hasten to add was more efficient than any airport I’ve flown through in recent years and as unforgiving of inappropriate items (the guy in front of me had to hand over his cell phone, which we had been warned to leave in our cars or face confiscation; no idea if he ever got it back, but he did not seem too perturbed at the loss anyhow). The ability of the organizers to move a crowd in, keep them quiet on demand, while allowing for breaks, was a model of organizational efficiency. That several thousand people would sit rapt to discussions of economic policy and possible plagiarism also gave one hope that there is intelligence left in our society. Much cheering for many points and Barack really does have charisma as a speaker, but it being a campus, the biggest cheer in my section was for Hilary asking for an end to the attacks on science! Now there’s a political agenda some of us can get behind. All told, it was a stirring example of the power and relevance of political discourse to our lives even if I only came away thinking either of them would make a great choice as president.