Voters affected by what they saw

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Wednesday, Oct 4,2000
By L.C. Greene, Staff Writer

The first presidential debate changed opinions in the Ortiz household.
The Diamond Bar family was among Inland Valley’s voters and area political academicians who sat down Tuesday night to watch the sometimes heated exchanges between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. “I knew who I wanted when I went in,” said 66-year-old Tom Ortiz, a registered Republican who favored George W. Bush. Now Ortiz puts himself in the ranks of the undecided.  Of Vice President Al Gore, Ortiz said, “I liked his family values and that touched me. ”His wife, 64-year-old Virginia Ortiz, went into the debate favoring Gore until the issue of abortion came up. “I’m not for abortion. That turned me off right there. ”Others in the Inland Valley echoed a possible change of heart.  Thirty-year-old Patty Rivas of Ontario, another Republican, was undecided before the often testy 90-minute debate. But the scales tipped slightly after it was over.

“I’m looking more favorably at Gore at this point,” she said.  Still others held firm to their opinions coming into the debate.

The Democratic candidate showed more polish, said David Kuipers, a 55-year-old Republican from Chino Hills. “But polish doesn’t make him a better president. ”Kuipers said Bush grew stronger as the debate went on and scored a strong point toward the end when Gore ignored an attack on his character.  Democrat Scott Bradley, 47 of Claremont, however, said Gore reacted correctly. “Gore made a shrewd move. ”Bradley said he would rather vote for Green Party Candidate Ralph Nader come November, but in such a close race, “Gore is the lesser of two evils. ”Democrat Ruth Guthrie, 36 also of Claremont, left the debate somewhat frustrated over what she called politicians being politicians.  “It felt like somebody said ‘this is our strategy’ to provoke the audience,” she said. “I don’t want to be provoked; I want to be educated.  ”She said the debate didn’t change her mind however, and her vote was still with Gore.  At the Claremont Colleges, political scientists were closely watching the latest television experiment in American democracy.
“I think Gore probably out pointed Bush on the details,” said associate professor of government Jack Pitney, a former congressional fellow for Republican vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney. “On the other hand, Gore probably hurt himself with his sometimes arrogant manner.  ”The debate will have little impact on the outcome of the race, the Claremont McKenna College professor added.  Pomona College politics professor David Menefee-Libey, a Democrat, said both men conveyed their messages.

“It was a fairly even and helpful debate.  ”Janet Larsen Palmer of San Dimas, a specialist in non-verbal communication—and a Republican—thought the debate was anything but even.  “I believe non-verbally Gore won hands down,” said Palmer, who works at the Communication Excellence Institute. Research shows that non-verbal communication is far more important than content, she said. The Democrat showed far more emotional range, Palmer said. “Bush seemed to be a talking head.  ”However, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior associate at the Center for Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University, said Bush held his own with the vice president.  “Where there is a tie, the advantage goes to the challenger,” Jeffe said of Bush.  L.C. Greene can be reached by e-mail at l_greene@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9337.