There was this debate, see...

On Monday, I went to my first gubernatorial debate. It was taking place at Kirkwood just an hour after I got off work, so I figured what the heck. Besides I hadn't made up mind about the candidates. Bruce Aune and a couple of reporters from the Gazette asked the questions, which I thought covered a lot of ground. I was struck by how big Chet Culver is and how small Jim Nussle looked in comparison. However, Nussle had more poise and definitely spoke better. Culver kept taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and mopping his face. I flashed back to the Nixon-Kennedy debates. (Well, okay I flashed back to footage I've seen of the Nixon-Kennedy debates.) Culver looked very uncomfortable just like Nixon did. And Nussle was calm, funny, and pointed in his remarks.

Still, in listening to the content rather than the delivery, I guess I come down on Culver's side. Assuming he can deliver what he promises. The main thrust of his message was making Iowa the first state independent on foreign oil. He wants to make us the center of the alternative fuel boom and compared it to the creation of Silicon Valley in the 1990s. Can he do it? I don't really know, but the idea sounds good.

I did get a little tired of Culver blaming Nussle for taking a record surplus and turning it into a record deficit. I mean, come on, he's one representative - it's not all his fault. A lot of what Culver did was attack Nussle, bringing up the Foley scandal, which has nothing to do with Nussle at all other than the fact that Foley is also a Republican.

Nussle's stance on social issues was disappointing, but not surprising. He goes too far on abortion even for me, a pro-lifer. He doesn't like the anti-bullying legislation because it makes gays a "protected class", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

Honestly, when all is said and done, I'm not excited about either candidate. Which is pretty normal for me.