Attendance was slightly down, but reactions were just as loud at the second presidential debate watch party Sunday, Oct. 9, hosted by the Shepherdstown Opera House.
Before the debate began, Shepherd junior Samuel Brown signed up debate watchers for volunteer work in support of Stephen Skinner, a Democratic candidate for the West Virginia State Senate.
Brown said that he was expecting the Democratic nominee to provide the best arguments in the debate. Brown also said that he expected “about a third” of the debate to be centered on the recently released 2005 video featuring harsh language from Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In fact, Brown said that the numbers of voters expressing interest in volunteering for candidate Skinner had risen “by 200 percent” since the release of the 2005 Trump video.
While boos, cheers, and laughter were the range of audience reactions at the first debate watch at the Opera House, this debate was met with laughter more than any other reaction. The first question of the night, about whether the presidential debates are appropriate viewing for younger audiences, brought about many laughs.
Laughter continued during Trump’s response to questions about what he called “locker room talk.” The first and loudest cheers of the night came when Clinton offered her response to the 2005 video.
Overall, the crowd was noticeably rowdy at the second debate watch party, with some at times shouting at the screen in response to the candidates’ comments. One audience member shouted “What about you?” in response to Trump’s answer to a question about dealing with Islamophobia.
Several debate watch attendees agreed that, in their opinions, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was the victor of the debate. Luke Harteis said that Clinton was aided in the debate by more flattering camera shots, and that Trump seemed to be framed poorly by certain camera shots, ultimately providing Clinton an advantage.
Harteis said the recently released video of Trump was not a relevant issue for the campaign, and said that he had heard many men use similar “locker room talk.”
Anis Elkharroubi, who also attended the debate watch, said that the video was concerning but that Trump “might get away with it, just like he’s gotten away with so many outrageous things he has said.”
While Elkharroubi said that Clinton would most likely win the election, another attendee, Giovanni Masini-Larsen said that Clinton would win by a landslide. Harteis, however, said that Trump may still have a “wildcard shot at winning.”
Elkharroubi and Masini-Larsen said that Trump looked uncomfortable as exhibited by his “constant pacing” as opposed to Clinton’s “poise.”
The Shepherdstown Opera House will host a debate watch party for the third and final presidential debate on Oct. 19.
