Brooke LaBarbera , from MTV’s Real World, came to IU Southeast to discuss the presidential election and political issues on Thursday, Sept. 25.

“Honest to God, this election is huge,” LaBarbera said.

LaBarbera opened up the discussion by talking to students about the importance of looking at credible sources and deciding for themselves who to vote for this November.

She also encouraged students to vote by explaining it as an America duty.

“Voting is our right and out duty as Americans,” LaBarbera said. “Many men and women have died to give us this right and I think that is reason enough to vote in this election.”

LaBarbera was not finished lecturing students on the importance of voting until after reiterating the point that women sacrificed to receive the right to vote.

“Ladies, we didn’t get our right to vote for quite a while,” LaBarbera said.

LaBarbera changed the subject after a long silence from students to her lecture on the importance of voting.

“Barack Obama is more liberal and John McCain is more of a moderate,” LaBarbera said. “John McCain has a lot of experience but Obama is more anti-war and would support our troops getting out of Iraq.”

IUS students began to participate in the discussion at this point and one student asked LaBarbera who she was voting for.

“I am voting for Obama and I am voting for him because I believe in universal healthcare,” LaBarbera said. “I think America is too wealthy of a country to not have a universal healthcare system.”

Reme Vincent, sociology senior, spoke up and told the entire lunch room who she was voting for and why.

“Obama talks about real issues and John McCain is just a douche bag,” Vincent said.

Many students began to leave the room after LaBarbera mentioned who she was voting for and once the McCain bashing began.

One IUS student questioned LaBarbera and asked what the forum was for because it only sounded like a bash-the-Republican event and explained to LaBarbera that many students most likely left because they were annoyed while trying to eat lunch.

“This is a bipartisan event and if anyone wants to say anything positive about McCain they should feel free to speak up,” LaBarbera said. “Is anyone here voting forMcCain?”

After no response, LaBarbera asked if anyone was voting for Obama, which a few students then cheered.

LaBarbera again changed the discussion and began to discuss healthcare, once again, and mental illness.

“If you are taking more than one kind of medicine for any reason you will be rejected by the normal health insurance and have to buy into the more expensive healthcare,” LaBarbera said. “This is a big deal for people with mental illness.”

LaBarbera said she was on more than one medication and had to pay much more for insurance because of it.

For the last time LaBarbera told students to learn about the issues by looking at both sides.

“Honest to God, please, seriously you have to learn about the issues,” LaBarbera said.

By  ERICA SELLERS
Staff Writer
emseller@ius.edu