Dartmouth’s GOP Debate Organizers Terrified of Another Dumb Audience Outburst

[meegbear]

You're probably familiar by now with the trifecta of tragicomic outbursts from the last three Republican debates: cheering for Rick Perry's 234 executions, cheering for uninsured sick people to die, and booing a gay soldier. So what terrible thing will happen at tonight's Washington Post/Bloomberg debate from Hanover, New Hampshire? Nothing, if the Dartmouth's powerhouse newspaper editorial board has anything to do with it!

The opinionisti at Dartmouth's student paper, The Dartmouth, have written a stern editorial urging debate attendees to not be dumb and shouty. The good standing and sterling reputation of Dartmouth College, home of mascot Keggy the Keg, is on the line here, they explain:

The College's presidential debate will effectively function as our school's "close up" - our moment of greatest national visibility in the forseeable future. Murmurs of student plans to disrupt the debate are therefore highly troubling. It would be an enormous black eye for the College and a damning indictment of our maturity and political culture if Dartmouth's debate were to be characterized by another inappropriate outburst, no matter its ideological origin.

Instead of engaging in childish heckling during certain candidates' replies, students should harness their informed opinions into other, more meaningful channels. In the days surrounding the debate, we will have the opportunity to participate in scholastic conversations that are actually conducive to making sense of the candidates' policies and political records, such as the pre-debate "Leading Voices: What's at Stake in the Republican Debate" panel moderated by political journalist and College Trustee Morton Kondracke '60.

As students, we especially should recognize the value of ideas over antics, of rebuttals over ruckus. We owe it to the College to be gracious hosts and thoughtful participants in a vital part of our political process.

Yeah yeah yeah. Sure thing, Grandpa. "Scholastic conversations," that's all. (PSST, DARTMOUTH PEOPLE: Who's got a good shout ready for the debate segment about, say, Mexicans? You should be practicing right now!)

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http://gawker.com/5848768/dartmouths-gop-debate-organizers-terrified-of-another-dumb-audience-outburst

[Turbineguy]

1. You can't be "..dumb and shouty..."?

So only Democrats will be attending then.

[brooklynite]

2. Or, the moderator could just SAY what the rules of decorum are...

I suspect the previous debate hosts WANTED an "enthusiastic" audience to increase the buzz..

[murielm99]

3. Dartmouth? Weren't they and their fraternities the

inspiration for the movie Animal House? I think so.

[hifiguy]

4. Yes they were.

Former NatLamp writer Chris Miller was the original source of the Animal House stories that evolved into the movie and a Dartmouth alum. I saw his picture on his frat's composite (the big pic with individual pics of the members) when I spent a weekend partying at Dartmouth's Winter festival. A friend's brother was a member of the same frat as Miller and three of us drove up from law school in Boston for the weekend.

"Beer swilling" doesn't even begin to express the depravity up there, but there is NOTHING else to do - Dartmouth is miles away from EVERYTHING. A friend of mine from LA decided to "Drink A Circuit" a Dartmouth tradition which consists of having one beer at every frat house and coop that is open to the student body during the course of one evening. And it was snowing to beat the band all night long.

I completed the circuit: Thirty-two beers. Burp. :hangover: And I must have drank another 15-20 the next night.

I was a lot younger back in 1988...

[EC]

5. It sounds like a set up to me

to blame the students if there is an outburst or something by the stupid conservatives.


I wonder, how many students are really planning on attending?

[murielm99]

6. Good point.

Sometimes, for on-campus events like these, it seems like everyone but the students can get tickets. Even if there is no charge for the event, it is hard to get a seat.