Mock debate outtakes

By Wendy Leung

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- Barack Obama and John McCain should have taken pointers from the eighth graders at Summit Intermediate School. The students were eloquent and mild-mannered on Thursday, talking about off-shore drilling and troop withdrawal without the cynicism that punctuated the presidential debates.

Under the tutelage of social studies teacher Dai Griffin, a crop of well informed eighth graders played the parts of the president and vice president candidates and even the prospective first ladies in a mock debate. On Nov. 3, students will have their own Election Day and vote for their faux candidates during lunch.

The faux candidates were diminutive but they looked presidential. The ladies wore pearls and heels. The gentlemen sported ties and ironed shirts.

Breanna Foster, 13, had Sarah Palin down to a T. With her red pumps, smart glasses and an upswept hairdo, she could make Tina Fey jealous.

"The immigration system is broken," Foster declared. "Once our border is secure, we'll all be secure."

These punchy talking points took a lot of hard work to construct. The students watched the presidential debates closely (on You Tube, of course) and spent the lunch hour for the past four weeks crafting speeches that were issues oriented.

"As president of the United States, I will work with Mexico to secure our borders," said Ryan Hill, as Obama. "I want to give incentives to those who enter here legally."

In real life, Ryan sounded more conflicted that the character he was playing. He described himself as a social conservative who thinks Obama could run the country better.

"If only Obama was a Republican," Ryan mused.

They are barely qualified as teenagers and yet these Summit students are well versed in the political process. They claim that watching the real debates is fun and they wish they had more events like Monday's.

"They really should teach more of this in class," said Montana Brown, 13.

"Yeah, they should have a proposition on that," suggested Brent Blay, 13.

Playing the Republican candidate was Dylan Dempster, 13, who went on McCain's Web site to research his role.

"Before this, I didn't know much about the candidates," Dylan said. "I should've cared more before."

But Dylan and his classmates are actually getting an early jump-start to political awareness. These students won't even be old enough to vote in the next presidential election and yet their interest in issues like the environment, taxes and of course, education, rivals that of many adult voters.

Watching in the audience were Spencer Jones, 14, and Shade Spears, 13, two McCain backers in the real and mock election. Shade watched all the real debates and talked politics with his parents. Spencer watches the stock market coverage every morning with his brother and father.

And yet the two are content that the mock election will be the only opportunity to cast a ballot this year. They don't think minors are old enough to vote.

"Who knows if we're right or wrong," said Spencer. "We might just be voting the way our parents vote."

Shade agreed. He thinks most of his peers don't care about the real debates.

"They don't really know the issues," Shade said. "They would just vote for who they think is cool."