Last week, Democrats mocked the Rick Scott-Bill McCollum GOP gubernatorial debate, saying its negativity made their candidate, Alex Sink, the true winner.

Does that mean Charlie Crist won Tuesday's match-up?

The Orlando debate, sponsored by Leadership Florida and The Florida Press Association, started off promisingly, when the candidates were asked what type of legislation would they propose to bring new jobs to the state? Jeff Greene said what he has throughout the campaign (and in his ads showing him with a hard hat and presumably design plans scrolled up in his hand), that he's a proven "job creator."

But panelist Michael Putney could have maintained the focus on policy when he was allowed to ask a question, but instead played into the nonsense that has truly characterized the campaign when he asked both candidates why it has deteriorated into essentially a bunch of name calling.  Greene answered by saying that he wanted to keep it civil, but that Kendrick Meek refused to return his phone call on the day that he announced he was opposing him.  I'm not sure that if Meek answered the call we wouldn't be where we're at in this race, since in the next sentence Greene blasted Meek as a "career politician who has failed us."

And so it went.

When they talked policy, the fact of the matter is, they're very similar in their beliefs.  In fact, Meek actually said when discussing Social Security that "I agree with Mr. Greene in not raising the retirement age." They wouldn't get as specific as Marco Rubio or Paul Ryan or Mitch Daniels, all relatively young up and coming Republicans have in speaking more specifically about means testing or looking at raising the retirement age, as both South Florida legislators are heavily courting the retirement vote, and don't feel the reason to be too honest about the stark choices that may lie ahead, especially not two weeks before a Democratic primary.

There was plenty on Dennis Stackhouse and Greene's yacht that has been in the news so much of late, Summerwind.

This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2010.