Barack Obama and John McCain, in Nashville for their second debate, last night crooned out empathy for economically fearful voters and offered plans and promises to fix what ails the country.

"I understand your frustration," said Obama, "You need somebody working for you."

McCain said, "It's our job to fix the problem," and "I have been a consistent reformer."

Obama hit his themes of "fundamental change" and of tying McCain to the unproductive policies of President Bush.

McCain wrapped himself in his "maverick" mantle (without ever saying the word) and pledged to usher in a new Washington of less government and no new taxes.

"Let's not raise anybody's taxes, my friends," McCain said.

These tunes played out as the nation faces record deficits, diving markets (the Dow dropped 1,400 points in just the last five trading days) and overall economic chaos.

How were the lyrics received?

Well, since the debate was mostly mild and mostly substantive, I'm betting it has mostly no impact on the race.

It was a town-hall-meeting format (projected to favor McCain; I don't think it did) hosted by NBC's Tom Brokaw with questions from 80 undecided voters seated around the candidates and e-mailed questions selected by Brokaw from voters across the country.

It came as the race is at its (so far) ugliest: A new Obama ad accuses McCain of "smears"; a new McCain ad accuses Obama of lies.

The respected Annenberg Political Fact Check says "sadly" both are right.

But there was little ugliness last night, largely, I suppose, because the format didn't allow for a dogfight and because, I suppose, McCain opted not to go postal in prime time.

As a result, I doubt the trend of the contest changes.

This debate comes as McCain claws to stay in a race that poll after poll says is slipping away from him.

It has been ever since McCain last month asserted the "fundamentals of our economy are strong" - something that didn't play well coming from someone who has trouble recalling how many houses he owns - just nine days before he "suspended" his campaign to deal with "an historic crisis" in our economy.

Apparently voters aren't all that drawn to political schizophrenia.

Gallup's daily tracking puts Obama up 9 percentage points, 51-42, the largest spread since Gallup started measuring Obama/McCain match-ups back in March and the first time either candidate has exceeded 50 percent.

Oh, McCain slapped at Obama last night - for wanting to raise taxes, for voting for taxes, for having "the most liberal, big-spending record" in the Senate.

But he threw no real punches.

Obama was steady, at ease and smooth.

McCain accused Obama of seeking to hike taxes on small business, which Obama denied, suggesting, "The Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one."

And McCain did a few odd things.

Asked by Brokaw whom he'd consider for his Treasury secretary, he said, "Not you, Tom." I suppose a joke. It fell flat.

He called, at different times, Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt "my hero." He once forgot to use his hand-held microphone. And he, inexplicably, referred to Obama as "that one."

Both candidates paced the stage, speaking directly with citizen questioners and occasionally each other.

Debate rules called for no reaction shots (though there were a few at a distance), I assume recalling George H.W. Bush looking at his watch, apparently bored, as H. Ross Perot twanged on about something or other in a '92 town-hall debate involving Bush, Perot and Bill Clinton.

McCain maybe should have looked at his watch. He'd have seen his time is running out.

The third and final debate is next Wednesday night at Hofstra University, in New York. If he wants to change the course of this campaign, McCain better start singing a different tune. *

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