Though President George W. Bush called for a “civil debate” with respect and goodwill between parties, interviews with the College Democrats and Republicans revealed a deep rift between the two political forces.

Democrats

Kevin Chambliss, a first-year graduate student and public administration major said Bush used deceptive measures in the speech.

“He avoided the issues and snuck in things,” Chambliss said. “A great leader is known by admitting mistakes.”

Chambliss’ major concern revolved around the president’s lack of concern in addressing the poor.

“I am really [upset] that he did not talk about the way on poverty, there are areas in the U.S. that are like third-world countries,” he said.

Though the president mentioned the creation of 4.6 million jobs, Kevin Malone, a senior political science major, thinks this statistic can be deceiving because the jobs may not pay as much.

Malone also mentioned his view on Bush’s plan to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

“One of his big things was to cut inefficient programs to save money. What is he going to cut? Welfare? Education?” Malone said. “[Bush] talks about creating opportunities in other countries, why isn’t he doing that for us?”

Republicans

Much of the comments from College Republicans centered on economic issues, including making tax cuts permanent and cutting the federal budget.

“I think that the president is concerned about economy and job growth,” said John Acardo, College Republicans president and student-at-large.

Patrick Binning, a sophomore undeclared major and a member of the group, agreed the statistics the president provided suggesting an upbeat outlook on the nation’s revenue with one exception.

“I think that Illinois is kind of the exception to the nation because of the severe taxes raised by the governor and his administration,” Binning said.

Though the president’s plan to privatize social security was shot down in Congress, Binning believes privatization is the solution.