A month ago, before the presidential debates began, I asked people what questions they were hoping have answered during the three debates.  The most popular concerns were the economy  and energy crisis. Now that the debates are over, I checked back with a few of the people I interviewed to see if they were satisfied with what they heard from the candidates.

                Blake Dillner, 22, and John Montgomery, 22 were both hoping to hear about the real issues and not just campaign “mudslinging.”

                “I still feel like I just heard canned answers and half truths,” Blake said.

Blake said he is still confused about several of the candidates’ plans.

                “In the last debate, McCain said that Obama’s tax plan was one thing and Obama said it was another thing all together. Someone has to be wrong,” Blake said.

                John, on the other hand, said he thought that both candidates handled themselves very well when faced with accusations.

                “I feel like Obama did a great job of steering past several land mines that McCain tried to lay with Bill Ayers,” John said. “They both stuck to the issues I care about, namely the economy.”

                John said the debates helped him decide who to vote for, but he didn’t make up his mind until this week. Although the debates are important for undecided voters to see which candidate they like best, another event this week helped many, including John, make a decision. This Sunday, October 19, on Meet the Press, former Bush Secretary of State and long time Republican, Gen. Colin Powell announced that he would be voting for Sen. Barack Obama.

                “Overall, I agree with Colin Powell in thinking that the GOP has used narrow tactics with little substance and has ensured my vote for Barack Obama,” John said.

                Josh Penuel, 19, is getting involved in politics for the first time this election season. He said that he didn’t know what to expect from the debates, but after watching all of them, Josh said it helped him make an informed decision.

                “I’ve never really paid attention before, but now things are affecting my life,” Josh said.

Josh said that he wanted to hear about gas prices and energy policies from the candidates.

                “I don’t like the idea of drilling because I don’t think that will help anyone at the gas pump. Alternative fuels are really interesting to me, and the idea that we may not need foreign oil in ten years is great. Obama has a plan for those things and I agreed with him the most during the debates,” Josh said.

                Josh said that he was disappointed with both candidates when they discussed the economic crisis and the government bailout.  He said both one had a clear solution, and that the economy is probably the most crucial issues right now.

                Each debate was a chance for the candidates to gain support from undecided voters, but how many have picked a candidate?

                According to politicalwire.com, after the second debate on October 7, research showed that half of the undecided voters polled were still undecided. The Vice Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, resulted in a large percent of undecided voters leaning toward Obama.  Before the debate, undecided voters were swaying 56% to 44% for McCain. After the debate, the percentage changed 52% to 48% for Sen. Barack Obama.

Slate.com stated that McCain did well in the final debate, but according to the undecided voters they interviewed, Obama may still have more voters convinced to vote democrat in November.