On the same day that the Vice Presidential candidates were exchanging sharp words, extravagant promises and Alaskan moose jokes (that was Thursday, October 2nd for those of you not following the election), Mrs. Lehmann’s Election 2008 class was treated to its own mock debate between classmates pretending to be Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama and Vice Presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

The classmates involved were Seti Elmasri as Obama, Andrew Budnick as McCain, Alison von Rohr as Palin, and Justin Billing as Biden. The debate took the form of question-and-answer, with Mrs. Lehmann filling in for Gwen Ifill as the moderator (Ifill was the moderator for the real VP debate).

The debate began with opening statements, and Elmasri, true to his model of Obama, delivered soaring rhetoric, invoking the words of Albus Dumbledore — it was pertinent, before you ask. The other opening statements were well-modeled to their candidates, with buzzwords left and right (“maverick” and “hockey mom” to name a few).

The students handled the debate well. The only question that gave any pause was “What does the Vice President do?”, and to this von Rohr was able to invent an answer, although Billing was more unsure. To the rest the students were able to respond with answers that were not only accurate, but a dig at their opponents as well.

“[They] put forth the best student debate I’ve ever seen,” said teacher Ms. Lehmann when asked about the debate. She added that it was a combination of their knowledge and successful mimicry of the candidates that made the debate truly memorable.