Vice presidential candidates Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, will face-off in the vice presidential debate tonight at 9 p.m., airing on all major networks.
As the candidates cover many issues facing the nation today, students and faculty alike will weigh their opinions on each candidates' preparedness for a vice presidential role.
"I certainly expect this to be a lively and engaging debate that will cover the important issues facing our country right now," said Debbie Walsh, Director of the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Because it is a front-and-center issue for most Americans, Walsh said she expects the current economic crisis to be a top concern of the debate.
Among other issues Walsh expects the candidates to address, she said foreign policy, healthcare and education will also be on top of the list.
There has also been much speculation in the news about Palin's upcoming performance in the debate.
The Wall Street Journal called Palin a "formidable foe" during the Alaskan debates, but many people feel that Palin has been inadequately prepared in the past, and are looking for an improvement.
"I feel like Palin's going to have a rough time because she seems to have been unprepared before, so I'm excited to see what happens [in the debate]," said Jamie Bradley, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore.
After Palin's nomination, many women connected to her story of being a young woman with children, and facing the challenges of juggling work and a family, Walsh said.
"People were very intrigued by it," she said. "What's happened since then is we've seen her likeability becoming less important, and where she stands on issues and her experience becoming more important. That's what voters are looking for in this debate."
Some students have mixed feelings about tonight's discussion.
"I'm expecting Biden to be underwhelming in a lot of ways, [such as] being boring and overly technical," said Benjamin Jones, School of Arts and Sciences junior. "I also expect Palin to be very overwhelming in her naiveté and her inexperience."
Walsh said the debate is an opportunity for a very large audience of voters to get a sense of who Palin is and what her stance is on the different issues.
While many people are skeptical of Palin's upcoming performance, some students feel that she will be able to prove herself to the nation.
"Palin is riding a wave of momentum with her aggressive stances and fresh opinion," School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Matthew Bella said. "Biden's experience will be overshadowed by Palin's energy, which will end in a victory for the Republican party."
The debate will be held at Washington University in the St. Louis Athletic Complex, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates.
It will be moderated by Gwen Ifill, a longtime correspondent and moderator for nationally televised public broadcasting news programs.
"This debate may be viewed by even more people than the first presidential debate last week," she said.
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