Stephanopoulos speaks to packed auditorium

George Stephanopoulos, news anchor and chief Washington correspondent for ABC News, speaks at the Kent State Tuscarawas Campus last night. Allison Smith | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: DKS Editors

George Stephanopoulos, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent, spoke to a crowded auditorium at the Kent State Tuscarawas Campus last night and discussed issues ranging from the economic crisis to young people’s role in the 2008 presidential election.

Stephanopoulos, who also served as a senior adviser to the Clinton administration, has roots in Ohio. He graduated from Orange High School in Pepper Pike, a suburb of Cleveland, and even spent a year abroad at Kent State’s Geneva campus during his junior year at Columbia.

Most of Stephanopoulos’ discussion, however, focused on the political realities facing the Obama administration, especially when it comes to the economic crisis.

“We’ve got a lot of smart people out there who are doing their best to make this right,” Stephanopoulos said. “But deep down, when you press people, they’re not sure whether it’s going to work or not.”

Stephanopoulos said the economic recession will get better, but he still sees a deepening trouble in the economy.

“We are likely to see several more months of experimentation,” he said.

Stephanopoulos said he sees more than just the economy as an issue, and he worries whether the president can keep everything on his timetable. For instance, Stephanopoulos said there’s a question of whether Pakistan’s democracy will hold or Iran will become a nuclear power.

Stephanopoulos also addressed the escalating drug war in Mexico and how it compares to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said 7,000 people have been killed in the Mexican conflicts – greater than the number of Americans killed in the Iraq War.

Stephanopoulos also addressed young people’s role in the election. He said young people didn’t turn out in higher numbers as expected. After all, the proportion was only 17 to 18 percent – the same as it had been before.

“The political question for all sides is, especially with the young people, ‘is this a fad or a foundation for lifetime habits?'” Stephanopoulos said.

Contact news correspondent Allison Smith at [email protected].