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MID-TERM MADNESS #1 鈥� WASHINGTON DC

Woodrow Wilson high school, classroom L14 is our studio for tonight . . . a nice welcome from the students there. They are about 17 鈥� 18 years of age and racially diverse.

The school setting is getting to Ros . . . he鈥檚 laying down the rules.

The guest list is impressive tonight.

Jennifer M. Palmieri: VP for Communications for a think tank in Washington and former press ecretary for John Edwards.

Rich Galen is a Republican strategist and 鈥減olar opposite of Jennifer.鈥� He鈥檚 been to Iraq and knows a thing or two about the place.

A quick class poll: Who thinks the Saddam verdict is an issue?

A student in the audience just said: 鈥淲hat happened to Saddam is having no impact on the situatio there. I don鈥檛 think it would affect any swing voters.鈥�

Kathy Kaye, 麻豆官网首页入口 Washington correspondent, is with us too: 鈥淢ost people in Iraq have made up their mind about Iraq already.鈥�

Jennifer: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 too late to affect the elections. To have had an effect it would have had to have happened a week ago. A lot of people thought he had been sentenced. It could help the GOP base.鈥�

Someone has challenged Rich on his 鈥渟tability in Iraq鈥� comment. His defence is stout.

Lubna is in Baghdad: 鈥淭he Republicans might use this to show the American voters that Iraq is going well.鈥�

Rich : 鈥淛ennifer is right, if this (the verdict) was arranged by the Republicans it would have happened ages ago. It was decided by the Iraqi people.鈥�

Mustafa is in Baghdad: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we need them anymore. We need military equipment. They鈥檝e had their time to train the Iraqis. . . all we need is a withdraw timetable. We鈥檇 like to say thank you - you did a great job.

Kathy: 鈥淗ave you been follwing the midterms Mustafa:

Mustafa: 鈥淚鈥檓 bewildered by American officials鈥� statements. The American troops don鈥檛 give the Iraqi troops full control. Who should I believe?鈥�

James is a student: 鈥淎re the troops helping to keep Iraqis safe? If they leave could there be anarchy?鈥�

Mustafa: 鈥淚 feel so grateful for what they have done but I would ask you . . . in places like Ramadi and Anbar they don鈥檛 provide security anymore. Maybe there is security in Baghdad.鈥�

Brian, a student who is eligible to vote: 鈥淢ustafa wants equipment not troops . . what I understood is that our US troops are there to train the Iraqi troops.鈥�

Ros is posing the question of the night: Q. What exactly do the Democrats stand for on Iraq?

Jennifer: The position is that there should be a timeline for getting out of Iraq and redeploying the troops to other hot spots in the worlds. Even if the Dems take over both houses GW will still be in charge of the war. So the best we can do is better oversight.鈥�

Rich: 鈥淚t could have a dramatic imp[act on the day-to-day operation because the Congress decides where and how the money is spent. Jennifer mentions 鈥榦versight鈥�: I have no problem with that.鈥�

Some statements from our students in class L14:

鈥淓ven with a Republican Congress GW has been unable to carry through some domestic policies.鈥�

鈥淭he American media spends so much time on Iraq . . almost every news station is Iraq, Iraq, Iraq. It鈥檚 one of the big issues but it鈥檚 blown out too much鈥�

鈥淒uring the Clinton admin they worked with the Republicans on the budget 鈥� that worked well. Would GW work with the democrats?鈥�

Jennifer: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the issue that is on most people鈥檚 minds because the situation is so dire. Economic issues: big disparity. Regarding a Democratic Congress: losing both houses and the Congress could be the best thing for the GW presidency. If he鈥檚 willing to work with a Democratic Congress he could salvage his last two years.鈥�

Kathy: 鈥淗istorically people use mid-term elections as an excuse for change. Ethics issues, scandals, corruption . . . there is a strong sense for change.鈥�

There appears to be an obscure quote on the wall - Change your thoughts and you change your world - and neither Ros nor the teacher in the class know who Norman Vincent Peel is . . . it鈥檚 down to our guest Rich Galen to explain. He was a proponent of positive thinking, if you鈥檙e reading us live on this blog then check out this .

We鈥檙e back from the news . . . .

Zak: 鈥淚 think healthcare is a big issue.鈥�

Emma: 鈥淚 think stem cell research is important.鈥�

鈥淪tem cell is big but I was thinking about the rich/ poor gap.鈥�

Sam 鈥淚n Washington DC even if we were all 18 we don鈥檛 have any power in Congress. Because of home rule they didn鈥檛 give the same voting rights to residents of Columbia as in other states.鈥�

If you鈥檙e wondering what Sam is on about then research District Columbia voting rights .

Sarah: 鈥淚mmigration is important. Immigrants are not treated as people. They鈥檙e treated as scum. The fence will do nothing but hurt everyone.鈥�

Cynthia: 鈥淚 agree with Sarah. Legalisation for youth immigrants is a big issue.鈥�

Ros is posing another question of the night put forward by a listener: Q. Are you more engaged than your parents?

鈥淢y parents are more involved but they do help me鈥�

Byron: My parents are much less political than I am. They grew up in New Jersey and W. Virginia and it鈥檚 not such a conducive environment.鈥�

Rich: 鈥淲e know from experience that people of this class鈥檚 age don鈥檛 vote. They would have an enormous impact but they don鈥檛鈥�

Jennifer: 鈥漌orld have hope. This generation care more about issues outside of their own lives and are more tolerant of other ethnicities.鈥�

Kathy Kaye: 鈥淏ecause 18 鈥� 20 year olds don鈥檛 vote is why Dems do better in polls than they do in results.鈥�

Would you vote for the same party as your parents? It鈥檚 a 100% YES on that quick straw poll within our class. I find that quite surprising actually . . .

Rich: 鈥淲e may be looking at the end of the 2-party system and moving into a 4-party system.鈥�

Some responses from our class . . .

鈥淵ou are only offered two points of view鈥�

鈥淚 agree with the 4-party system. It鈥檒l make it a broader range. You鈥檙e issues may not be covered by either of the two parties.鈥�

Bob from Ohioville has phoned in : 鈥淭he people should bring up the issues not the politicians. Abortion, gay rights should not be issues for government. I鈥檓 for smaller government, low taxes. Lets take abortion 鈥� it should be something to do with individual rights and freedom of choice.鈥�

鈥淥ur Congress is very inactive. Issues like abortion are used by the president to energise his base.鈥�

Hagoscalled in, he has a low opinion of the mid-terms: 鈥淚t鈥檚 garbage in garbage out.

鈥淭he problem I have with Congress was the amendment they made to raise their pay! Their capabilities to make decisions is hindered by the filibustering.鈥�

鈥淭he most definitive way to get rid of scandals like Abramoff is to boost voter turnout. If everyone expresses their opinion then the people鈥檚 power is greater than lobbyists.鈥�

鈥淭he bigger issue was that Republicans knew about it and didn鈥檛 tell anyone. Dennis Hastert hid information from American people. That was the issue.鈥�

鈥淚 look at all these scandals and it鈥檚 usually the Republican party involved. Like the evangelical priest down in Colorado.鈥�

Rich agrees: 鈥淧ower corrupts.鈥�

鈥淔oley wasn鈥檛 such a big deal. People do that all the time.鈥�

碍补迟丑测鈥檚 asking: 鈥淲hat do you think about the negative ads?鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 really sickening. It鈥檚 on all the time. Quotes are taken out of context.鈥�

鈥淢ost of the time the politicians just put other people down they don鈥檛 talk about themselves.鈥�

鈥淭hose advertisements are the ones that are remembered by voters鈥�

Jennifer: 鈥淧resident Clinton said 鈥榥egative ads will stop when they stop working.鈥� I would love it for this to be the last one鈥�

The final quote of the night and the beans are spilled on Woodrow鈥檚 political makeup 鈥淲e鈥檙e almost all politically to the left,鈥� says one student. Rich is objecting but we鈥檙e outta time . . . see you tomorrow in Cleveland!