In the dimly lit Tribes bar Saturday morning, a handful of local voters gathered to watch presidential candidates Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama debate for the first time in this year\u2019s race for the White House; and as the two contenders traded barbs on television from the opposite side of the globe, the talk clearly influenced opinions on the election here. <\/p>\n
Hosted by the local Democratic Party, the gathering saw a small but vocal turnout of Saipan residents on both sides of the nation\u2019s electoral spectrum, which became apparent in the audience\u2019s reactions as the two presidential hopefuls weighed into each other on government spending, America\u2019s economic crisis, and national security issues.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath, one key point for the debate watchers was the rhetoric McCain\u2014a long-time opponent of the Senate\u2019s earmark spending\u2014had fired at Obama on fiscal responsibility, saying Obama has accepted $923 million in pork barrel funds for his Illinois constituency during his Senate career. Obama supporters downplayed its impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue of government spending is Republican boilerplate talk,\u201d said Scott, an audience member who declined to give his full name. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t really resonate in the way they think it does and I think Obama more than held his own.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, McCain supporter Sergio Loya said his candidate\u2014a senior senator who has never accepted an earmark\u2014had raised a point that sets him apart from Obama.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s quite distinguishable,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s [Obama] going into the Senate and doing what everybody else does because everybody else gets away with it. It\u2019s a legitimate criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet McCain\u2019s stance on spending could pose a serious concern to the CNMI, which depends on federal support for a host of needs, if he wants to clamp down on earmarks as president, Obama supporter Angelo Villagomez said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe CNMI should be worried if John McCain is suggesting a spending freeze,\u201d said Villagomez. \u201cWe should be worried about a lot of things he has said.\u201d<\/p>\n
At several points, McCain had also hammered Obama by suggesting the younger lawmaker lacks the experience needed to serve as president, at times suggesting he is \u201cna\u00efve,\u201d an issue that has long plagued Obama\u2019s campaign. But this line of attack failed to shake local Obama supporters\u2019 confidence in their candidate.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperience is a good thing but it doesn\u2019t necessarily equate with always knowing the right thing to do,\u201d said Laurie Peterka. \u201cYou can\u2019t solve the world\u2019s problems today with yesterday\u2019s thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, observers on both sides still found common ground on some issues, with some Obama supporters commending McCain\u2019s stance on the environment and at least one McCain backer acknowledging that the political fallout over the ongoing war in Iraq has hurt the Republican party\u2019s standing as election day draws near. <\/p>\n
According to the results of a CNN and Opinion Research Corporation poll, 51 percent of observers sampled believe Obama won the debate, while 38 percent said McCain had prevailed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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