Artur Davis can see both sides of politics.

The former congressman from Alabama was a Democrat in 2008, but switched parties and spoke at the Republican National Convention this year.

Davis discussed his change in political beliefs and ideology with a group of students and others from the Syracuse community at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Watson Theater.

The event, sponsored by College Republicans, focused on educating Syracuse University students about Davis’ political beliefs and urged students to rethink their own political ideology before the coming elections.

Davis spoke not only about his own political beliefs, but also the importance of being informed on political issues before identifying with a political party.

The talk covered aspects of the election, including the economy and health care, but focused primarily on students eligible to vote developing their political ideology.

“One of the reasons that I like to go to college campuses is I like to be able to say to people, ‘Develop a viewpoint, but have a reason for your viewpoint,’” Davis said.

Although Davis is a supporter of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, he encouraged audience members to understand why they’re voting for whomever they choose.

“I’m going to say this to you about (the election): Know why you are voting for whoever you vote for,” Davis said. “This is the one little stretch in your life when you have the freedom to think about and to entertain different philosophies and different ways of looking at the world.”

Before the event, some students thought Davis was going to speak primarily about his own political beliefs. Those students were surprised to hear that Davis spoke more about political philosophy as a whole.

“I think he spoke on the challenges voters face today and who they should vote for in the upcoming election,” said Dimitri Skambas, a sophomore international relations major. “He provided a clear picture of the difference between Obama and Romney.”

But for other students, the information they heard from Davis coincided with what they were expecting to hear.

“I saw him at the convention and was pretty impressed, and I came away with basically what I expected, which was nice to see,” said Evan Weston, a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major.

Davis gave students a lot to think about with regard to creating their own political philosophies and reiterated the importance of continually thinking on those philosophies.

“It is not enough to be for Barack Obama because he is a Democrat and, in fairness, it is not enough to be for Mitt Romney or against Obama just because you are a Republican,” Davis said. “Have a reason.”

Published on October 3, 2012 at 2:56 am

Contact Taylor: tblupo@syr.edu