I said the other day that both candidates needed to come to the debate with clear answers on the economic crisis and new policy ideas. Well, so much for that.

McCain did propose a new $300 Billion plan for the government to assist homeowners but did a terrible job of explaining or selling it and did not refer back to it often enough for most people to notice. Plus its kind of hard to sell yourself as a reformer who will cut spending when you keep proposing new spending. The same also applies for Obama. When people ask you what programs you will cut and you suggest programs you will spend more money on, then follow it up with “some existing programs may need tighter budgets EXCEPT… you aren’t actually suggesting any budget cuts.

My sense of the debate is that many tuned in, not many stayed the entire length.

Despite the sudden rush of polls, my sense is that we are actually somewhat tied 27 days out. Some of the national polls will tighten now that conservatives are moving back into attack mode and the right is revving up their base with thoughts of what will happen if an unchecked Democratic Party comes to power. Likewise the MSM, which adopted the Democratic theme that this was deregulation gone amok, have begun reporting on the lengthy involvement of Barney Frank and the Democrats in this crisis. As that happens and the reality that the US was failed on all sides sinks in, I wouldn’t be surprised if things tighten up. Not because of renewed interest in McCain but something else.

There is another major factor coming to play, apathy. For two years the media has been hyping us up for the most exciting election ever. Last night voters were treated to two politicians doing everything they could to duck responsibility. The bailout has not averted a financial meltdown, credit is still tight, the global markets are crashing, the stock market has shed away peoples retirements, we all know things are bad and only going to get worse. Neither candidate would admit things are going to get worse before they get better when asked, both would have scored major points if they had just been honest.

This helps Obama, plain and simple, he represents the party that hasn’t been in the White House and facts and figures don’t matter against that argument. He is different in party affiliation, that is more than his differences in policy or race or background. That is what McCain fights more than anything else and it will most likely sink him.

With that said, last nights debate was a failure of vision. Both candidates look weak and small in the face of our fiscal nightmare. Both entered the last few weeks with specific views of the world, Obama wanted to spend, McCain wanted to cut taxes which is kind of like spending because it means less money to pay off debt. Now, surprise, those visions are the solutions we just have to have. Good enough for times of fiscal growth, good enough for times of decline, the remedy that will cure all that ails us.

Please!

The average voter probably doesn’t understand much about policy, they do know bullshit. Sometimes they don’t care, they will take bullshit simply because they have nothing else and they will smile because its something. Deep inside though, they know what they have.

This race can be decided right now, this instant, if just one of these candidates came out with some kind of plan that is so radically different then what has been proposed but so amazingly simplistic we can all understand. It would require thought, understanding of the problems at hand and real leadership so my guess is that apathy will rise. My guess is that Obama comes out the victor as most declared him in the last two debates simply by default. He is the guy standing there, the lesser of two evils for most. But the inspiration, the desire, he drive that was building around him is fading in this financial time. Yes a few hundred thousand devoted followers are still there, but they are the minority.

The vastness of the American electorate is no doubt getting tired of it all, just as they do every election year when they look for true leadership and are handed what we had in last nights debate.