Debate recap

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Senators John McCain and Barack Obama sat face to face for their final presidential debate Wednesday night.

The debate focused on domestic issues, but included a feisty exchange about negative personal attacks.

McCain accused Obama of waging class warfare with his tax plan and of not telling the American people the truth.

Obama said McCain is little more than a clone of President Bush and accused McCain of running an overly negative campaign.

The candidates also sparred over their plans for health care reform.

"The average cost of a health care insurance plan in America today is $5,800. I'm going to give them $5,000 to take with them wherever they want to go, and this will give them affordability. This will give them availability. This will give them a chance to choose their own futures, not have Senator Obama and government decide that for them," said McCain.

McCain says Obama's plan would hurt large businesses by fining them for not providing health insurance for employees.

But Obama fired back, saying either they provide health insurance to their employees or somebody else has to.

"Right now, what happens is those employees get dumped into either the Medicaid system, which taxpayers pick up, or they're going to the emergency room for uncompensated care, which everybody picks up in their premiums. The average family is paying an additional $900 a year in higher premiums because of the uninsured," said Obama.

The main focus of the debate was of course the economy. Given our financial mess, voters hope to know once and for all which candidate will get us back on the right track.

We brought in Al Pheley, the Director of the Ford Institute at Albion College for his thoughts on how each candidate spoke to the issue.

"I think economy is a draw. Each of them just put new proposals out there. I think it's going to be a little while before we figure out which one is the best to go. And again I think it's going to appeal to different people," said Pheley.