UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 8, Page 7                        
October 22, 1992                                       
Economic debate on presidential candidates set for Oct. 27
                                                       
     Like many Americans, University professor William Harris had 
hoped the major candidates for president would focus more attention on
the national economy during their campaigns to lead the free world.
     Still, Harris, a professor of economics, was not surprised by the
repeated personal attacks President George Bush and Gov. Bill Clinton
leveled against one another.                                 
     He said he just hopes the level of discussion will not sink so
low during his department's presidential debate on Tuesday night. 
     Sponsored by the Student Economic Association, the debate will
feature six or eight economics professors, evenly divided into camps
of Bush and Clinton supporters. As of Tuesday morning, no professors
had volunteered to represent Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot.
     The debate, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. in 100
Kirkbride Lecture Hall, will focus on the major candidates' economic
platforms, Harris said.                                      
     Issues such as unemployment, inflation and health care costs are
certain to be raised. "Issues of marital fidelity, draft dodging or
inhalation will not be debated," he said.                    
     Eleanor Craig, an economics professor who will represent Bush,
said she feels "very strongly that Clinton would bring higher taxes,
more government spending and less economic growth." On the other hand,
she said, Bush is "a proven world leader. Without peace, all of the
other things the other candidates are talking about would be 
irrelevant."                                                 
     Laurence Seidman, an economics professor who has worked for the
Clinton campaign in Delaware and who will represent the Democratic
candidate in the debate, said he thinks President Bush has a poor 
economic record.                                             
     "While it is not his fault that we were hit with this recession,
I do blame him for the fact that we are still in it," he said.
     In what may be a prelude to Tuesday's debate, Seidman said
Clinton is "clearly more responsive" than Bush to the needs of
middle-and lower-income Americans. He said that he and other 
representatives of Clinton "certainly are going to attack the other
side."                                                       
     For more information on the Student Economic Association's
presidential debate, call the Department of Economics at 831-2565.
                                        -Stephen Steenkamer