If the wrestling superstars have their way, there may be two new jabronis laying the smack down in the World Wrestling Federation ring.
Hoping to mobilize young, uninformed voters, the WWF challenged presidential candidates Vice President Al Gore (D) and Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) to appear in a political debate on "Smackdown!" - a popular Thursday night wrestling extravaganza.
"We have a tremendous opportunity to make a statement that the two parties are not going to leave youth behind," said Gary Davis, vice president of corporate communications for the World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc.
The WWF, in conjunction with groups such as Youth Vote 2000 and MTV's Rock the Vote, wants to encourage younger voters to vote in the presidential elections by bringing the candidates to a youth-oriented forum.
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"If you want to catch fish, you have to go where the fish are," said Kay Albowicc, director of communications of the National Association of the Secretaries of State, another organization endorsing the WWF bid.
If approved, the "Smackdown!" event would consist of a brief debate between the two candidates moderated by former wrestling superstar and Independent Minnesota Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura.
WWF superstars such as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chyna have sent letters to the Commission on Presidential Debates and both candidates requesting their attendance. In addition, a public petition is available on the WWF Web site and at arena events.
While neither candidate has responded to the petition or letters, the WWF hopes both candidates will realize the importance of appealing to younger voters, Davis said.
"We definitely saw after the debate on Tuesday that young people are not paying attention," said John Dervin, political director for Youth Vote 2000.
In addition to the "Smackdown!" challenge, Youth Vote 2000 has requested that the audience at the Oct. 13 debate held at Washington University in St. Louis mainly consist of younger voters. Neither the candidates nor the Commission on Presidential Debates have responded.
University students have mixed reactions on the effectiveness of the possible debate.
"I think that viewers would just switch the channel to another station," second-year College student Scott Young said.
But other students feel that the WWF debate would be beneficial to younger voters.
"Politicians should stop being jabronis and start talking about issues that matter to younger Americans," third-year College student Chris Yarnell said. "Social Security and Medicare aren't going to cut it."
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