Multi-millionaire business owner who casts aspersions on carreer politicians while attempting to become one himself vs. multi-millionaire carreer politician who casts aspersions on a possible puppet republican engineered to fit into the machinery of the current administration while being fully vested himself in the political machinery.

By the way, did anyone else catch the young woman's question about equality in higher education? She made no mention as to what type of equality she was referring.

Corker assumed it was about racial equality and Ford seemed to think it was about male/famale equality.

Corker admitted he didn't quite understand what she was looking for, but missed a great opportunity to explore what she meant. I would have been more impressed if he had taken all his time to understand her point even if he had no time left to answer the question (someone to listen as long as necessary instead of jumping to conclusions in order to solve a problem).

Ford came off looking like he "understood" her a bit better, possibly because she was already his memphis constituent, or possibly because they are both black, or possibly because I am a white guy who imagined a connection just because they are both black.

But his answer of the country paying for everyone who worked hard in high school, was wiling to work hard in college, and willing to give back to the country seemed to neglect a whole host of issues possibly present in the young woman's mind.

It sounded like a "Gee Wally, you mean the American Dream is still out there as long as we really believe it is?" kind of an answer.

All in all, I guess I'm no closer to picking a candidate. They do seem neck and neck like the polls suggest. but not because one is gaining or another is faltering. But rather, because they both seem to be vying for the same position of politician instead of public servant.

The one thing I did not walk away with last night: Why exactly do these two men want me to vote for them? What unique abilities do they possess that the current holder of the senate seat does not possess. All the tired rhetoric about same sex marriages, abortion, immigration and terrorism seem like smoke screens.

What matters to me is the combination of a person's understanding of the past, accurate assessment of the present and ability to articulate a vision for the future that offers hope for everyone. Maybe I'm just too dense to parse out their true ideologies.