AN MATEO, Calif. - Their minds mostly made up, their hearts not necessarily in their decisions, a dozen high-techies sat down to pizza and soda pop last night and searched for something to make them feel better about their candidate or at least worse about the other guy.
The lone Bush backer came away satisfied by the second presidential debate. So did the Gore supporters at Xtime, a Silicon Valley start-up whose software enables clients to make reservations and appointments over the Internet. And after watching and listening and laughing with his colleagues over both candidates' responses and mannerisms, the single undecided voter among them remained undecided.
Before they headed back to their offices and cubicles at 7:30 p.m. California time, almost everyone agreed that the debate in Winston-Salem, N.C., was more informative, if less entertaining, than the first one. Few felt comfortable declaring a winner, although the most-improved award clearly went to Gore.
''It's interesting that the moderator had to keep asking for the differences because there weren't a whole lot of differences on the issues,'' said Chief Executive Officer John Lee, 32. ''I have a much stronger sense that these guys are much closer together than the media would like them to be. I came in with a preference for Gore, but if the other guy were to win, I'd feel better about it now than I did before the debate.''
Added Bush supporter Travis Murdock, the company's 28-year-old manager of publicity and promotions, ''My vote isn't changing, but Gore presented a number of very good ideas. I would feel better now if Gore happened to win.''
For these employees of a year-old company where 12-hour days leave little time for interoffice political discussion, the one-liners came fast and easy during the 90-minute debate - and not from the television set.
For the most part, the techies, ages 23 to 55, said they like Vice President Al Gore and dislike Texas Governor George W. Bush. But they were equal opportunity ridiculers, an indication of how unsettling they find their choices.
When Gore launched into an anecdote, Deborah Slack, 31, Xtime's senior manager of consulting services, shrank into her chair and pleaded, ''Oh God, please don't do that.'' The remark got a round of chuckles.
When Bush mentioned the Internet in the same sentence as youth violence, creative director James Stewart, 35, announced, ''He's probably the only one left who thinks Gore invented the Internet.'' Murdock, the Bush voter, laughed loudest of all.
''I never for a moment considered voting for Gore,'' said Murdock, a self-described conservative Republican who believes Bush's proposals will do better by business in general and Silicon Valley in particular. ''But my vote is based more on political philosophy than that this is THE right man for the job.''
That hesitation was echoed by his colleagues, including the ones who had voted for Republicans in the past and who said their intended votes for Gore did not swell them with satisfaction. During the debate, the group casually debated which candidate Xtime would be more likely to hire based on resume and experience.
Celia Francis, 34, Xtime's vice president of product marketing and a graduate of Boston's Winsor School, as well as of Harvard and MIT, said she considers Gore the smarter choice for Silicon Valley. His proposals, she said, would foster more creativity and risk-taking. Bush, she added, sounds too intent on interfering with the Internet, especially where privacy issues are concerned.
''I think of Bush as more aligned with traditional companies, like big oil,'' said finance manager Laura Phelps, 36, who voted for Ronald Reagan and now plans to cast her ballot for Gore. ''He doesn't talk up alternative sources of energy or solar energy. Gore just seems more forward thinking.''
Still, everyone appreciated Bush's admission that he sometimes mangles a syllable or two - intentionally mispronouncing syllable in the process. They also applauded Gore's self-described difficulties with the facts in the past as a wise move.
Going into yesterday's debate, 28-year-old Jon Hance said he had been paying attention to the presidential race, but was still unclear on the candidates' positions. Their lack of clarity, he said, had become his, too. He said he expected to be undecided until after the third and final debate.
''They were both a lot more relaxed, but going by the same scripts, speaking to the same constituencies as before,'' said Hance, Xtime's quality assurance manager. ''But they did it better than they did last time.''
Hance called Gore's resume and background ''a little stronger'' than Bush's, but said he was disappointed by Gore's lack of support for gun registration and his response to the character question.
Not surprisingly in this crowd, the sharpest barbs were aimed at Bush, whose intelligence was clearly in question in the conference room. ''Is he biting his lip?'' someone asked as Bush chewed his lower lip for the umpteenth time. ''I can't tell because he doesn't have one,'' replied someone else. Murdock pleaded, ''Give him a chance, come on.''
Ultimately, everyone settled down and settled in, saying they hoped to be convinced that both the country and their company will survive and prosper regardless of who wins. Afterward, Stewart suggested that everyone take another early evening break today to watch ''The Simpsons.''
