This year’s election presents voters a "clear choice," said Center for American Freedom board member William Kristol at a debate at American University Thursday evening titled "How Should You Vote?"
William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, debated Kristol at the event sponsored by the Political Theory Institute at AU.
Galston presented the affirmative case for reelecting Barack Obama. He pitched himself from the outset as the "Bill of particulars," and he used his 20-minute opening remarks to tick through the accomplishments of the administration’s first term. He argued that Obama’s performance has been "well above the threshold that merits reelection."
Kristol stipulated that he would make no attempt to match Galston’s detail, instead proposing to overview the issues at "thirty thousand feet."
He emphasized the "very clear differences" between the two candidates, saying they offer a "pretty big difference by American standards." He said the two candidates represent "different attitudes toward" the size and scope of government.
Both Kristol and Galston brought their extensive experience to bear on the debate. Kristol served as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle under George H.W. Bush, while Galston served as a domestic policy adviser to President Bill Clinton.
One attendee said before the event, "I think both Bill Kristol and Bill Galston are impressive thinkers about politics. … I really respect what they have to say."
Galston employed his domestic policy experience from the outset of his remarks, arguing that the economy has made progress under Obama’s watch. After noting the effects of Obama’s policies, Galston said, "That’s not a bad economic record."
Galston said it was ironic that the conservative alternative to Hillarycare in the 1990s became the framework for the "socialist" plan that has placed us "on the road to serfdom."
Kristol said that Romney would have a good chance to repeal and replace Obamacare, and argued that the bill represents an extension of the government’s reach into society.
Both also discussed foreign policy. Kristol characterized Obama’s foreign policy as having "too many retreats, too many signs of weakness." Galston defended Obama’s record, saying, "for the most part, there has been a competent management of the foreign policy portfolio," including a "determined war on terrorists" with drones.
Kristol noted that the deteriorating situation in Iraq has been a foreign policy failure of the Obama administration. The administration should have completed a status of forces agreement with the Iraqi government but failed to do that, he said.
Kristol expressed hope that Romney could be a Republican reformer, and draw a parallel between Romney and FDR.
The two sat next to each other on stage after their opening statements to debate the issues. The discussion felt at times more like a conversation between old friends than a heated argument. The two agreed repeatedly on certain points.
Galston said the first two years of Obama’s term were "conducted under the aegis of necessity." But Kristol pointed out that Obama spent much of his first two years pursuing healthcare reform and cap and trade, neither of which helps the economy.
Galston agreed that the two reforms were pursued at the wrong time.
Alan Levine, a professor in the AU department of government who was moderating the event, later opened the floor up to questions from the audience. The questions ranged from the nature of the Republican primary field to health care to the women's vote.
"I thought it was a really great opportunity for students to see deep minds on both sides of the aisle," Levine said after the event. "If our politicians listened to Bill Kristol and Bill Galston, our country would be a lot better off."