LAISTOW, N.H. - If the 10 voters seated in Bill and Carol Verge's family room were any indication, Vice President Al Gore and former Senator Bill Bradley baffled American voters a few times during last night's debate.
Their sometimes venomous attacks on each other's health care policies have sent reporters scurrying to keyboards, and pundits off on lengthy evaluations, but their exchanges on the topic last night mystified these voters, even though some of them have been following the race closely for months.
The guests let out a collective ''Huh?'' seconds after Bradley and Gore went back and forth over their plans for extending health care to more Americans, and Gore pulled out a little card to brush up on the details of Bradley's plan.
''I thought it was just me,'' said Judy McArdle, 42, an undecided voter.
''They should be talking about the general concepts, and not the specific details, because the details are going to change,'' said Bill Verge, who committed to Gore some time ago but allowed that Bradley delivered some very good comebacks last night.
Though polls show a tight race in New Hampshire, half of the 10 Democrats in the room supported Gore, one supported Bradley, and four were undecided. For those who hadn't made up their minds, there wasn't much to differentiate the two candidates, besides personality, that is.
''They're pretty close on a lot of the issues,'' said David Rembis, 36, one of the undecideds. ''I don't see a gap between the two of them. I think Bradley had a chance to show his personal side with his humor. But I have to say, I'm leaning more towards Gore. He came across very well. I think he'd do well on a national campaign.''
Most of those in the cozy room, with its red checkered couch and Christmas decorations, agreed that Bradley displayed more wit and personality than Gore.
''Between the two of them, it did look like Bradley's been traveling a little more. He looked a little worn out,'' McArdle said. ''But sometimes I just felt like Al Gore's answers were still very canned. It sounds like he's reading a script. And there were times when both candidates didn't give us answers, they gave us circles. Al Gore couldn't even do a simple yes or no, and that frustrates me. I mean, the man is vice president of the United States.''
For the Verges's daughter, Amy Soo, 20, also undecided, Gore seemed more of a realist than Bradley, though she thought the two hopefuls seemed to want to do the same things as president.
''They both seemed to be going after the same ideas: gun control, health care for everyone. But Bill Bradley, all the things he's going for is more ideal situations. Gore has ideas that are more attainable than idealistic,'' she said.
While Bradley's wit and combativeness impressed some last night, it worried Rembis.
''Bradley might have a short temper,'' he said. ''Obviously, I don't think that's good in a president. You don't just set yourself in and not take any other ideas into account.''
Gore, most of the voters said, seemed more ''presidential.''
And Gore's reiteration of his offer to stop paid television advertising in favor of regular debates achieved exactly the effect with Rembis as Gore and his advisers might have wanted. For Rembis, the fact that Bradley would not agree to Gore's suggestions made the former senator's speeches in favor of campaign finance reform less convincing.
''When he turned Gore down on the debates, I thought [Bradley was saying] `campaign finance reform is fine as long as it doesn't affect me.'''
But the issues made only a secondary impression on these viewers, who seemed to respect both candidates. Personality and experience were key.
''I thought Bradley's comebacks were quicker and smarter than Gore's, though Gore was better than I thought he would be, not as stiff and bland as he was earlier in the campaign,'' said Barbara Burri, 46, a Bradley supporter.
Most of the voters already committed to one or the other candidate remarked on how well the opposing candidate had performed.
''It'd be a nice ticket,'' Bill Verge, 48, said when it was over, to much laughter.
