Norris Feeney, a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. political science, is still on the fence about whom he will vote for on Tuesday.

“I want to see if anything major happens the last few days of the campaign,” he says.

For him, the most important election issue is foreign policy. He says he feels that the president can greatly affect issues like foreign policy more so than ones with the economy.

He says he supports a foreign policy approach somewhere in between McCain’s confrontational, individualistic philosophy and Obama’s emphasis on restoring the country’s reputation.

“We need to have a reputation of not being too rash…but also of strength so we’re not being challenged either,” Feeney says. 

The financial crisis and panic it caused are dominating the election, he says. But the economy is cyclical, and has been throughout history. He says he thinks that the government can only marginally impact the market.

“The government should be there to cushion the blow for average Americans with the acknowledgement that the economy can’t always be growing at a fast pace,” Feeney says.

The bailout plan merely supports those who made the mistakes that led to the crisis in the first place, he says. He cited the $440,000 spa trip by AIG executives days after its bailout as an example.

While he admits that Obama has some good things to say about the economy, Feeney says he thinks that McCain would be more beneficial for it in the long run.

“I worry about this idea of, ‘Oh, we’ll just tax the rich a little bit more and maybe this’ll help the economy,’” he says.

But overall, Feeney says he is excited about the energy and involvement of the American people in this election.

“It’s good for American democracy,” he says.

Feeney received his bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College in Ohio. He currently teaches Political Science 102, and will also teach Political Science 366 next semester.