Bill Schneider: The final debate is all about connecting

From Bill Schneider/CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In the first presidential debate on October 3, we saw Democrat Al Gore the alpha male -- aggressive and boastful. Many voters were turned off, so he changed.

In the second debate on October 11, we saw Gore the omega male -- agreeable and apologetic. Did that work better? Not really. It just confirmed the notion that Gore, much more than Republican rival George W. Bush, would say anything to get elected.

Democrats would like to unleash Gore in the third and final debate Tuesday night -- let him go after Bush's record and his tax plan. The problem is, the third debate will be a town hall, where undecided voters will be asking the candidates questions.

Undecided voters are nonpartisan. They hate attack politics.

Bush could also have problems with the town hall format. He can sometimes appear arrogant and dismissive. Remember the smirk?

His father had a problem connecting with voters. For instance, in 1992, when a voter asked how the national debt affected him personally, the elder Bush responded, "Are you suggesting that if somebody has means, that the national debt doesn't affect them?" He then asked for help in understanding the question.

Bill Clinton knew how to connect.

And one more thing: Never, ever look at your watch.

At a town hall, there's one rule. As the writer E. M. Forster put it, "Only connect." "Only connect" with what? What can the candidates say to connect with the voters?

Mostly, what connects is negative.

The United States currently has a gigantic projected surplus -- $3 trillion. Bush wants to use a lot of it to give people a big tax cut, but the voters don't seem to want one. Gore wants to use it for new spending on public needs, but Bush has accused Gore of wanting to go back to the era of big government -- the one President Clinton famously said is over.

What do the voters want to do with the surplus? First, make sure Social Security is protected. Then, pay off the debt -- assuming there is a surplus. Voters may be afraid that both candidates are too eager to spend money that isn't there yet.