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They�re still undecided, but some lean a bit more By Dani Dodge As she watched the presidential debate on a shoebox-sized television in the kitchen of her elegant Applegate home, Donna Epstein prepared homemade lentil soup and sipped a glass of Kendell-Jackson chardonnay. Sometimes the answers the candidates gave slowed her onion chopping, but mostly she went about her cooking, dishing out derisive comments at both Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. For all the fuss the candidates have made about wanting to reach the undecided voters, neither impressed the fence-sitting Epstein, although she felt Gore was the stronger of the two. She wanted to know how the candidates plan to tackle poverty. Instead she heard them avoid questions and repeat the same old tired lines. "I didn�t hear anything new tonight," she complained. "Nothing new on Social Security or education." Epstein, 61, is one of six undecided voters whose opinions are being gauged by the Mail Tribune during the campaign season. Among the group are two registered Republicans, two nonaffiliated voters, one Democrat and one Pacific Green (one of the original two Democrats switched parties). They range in age from 19 to 76. The six undecideds in this series were first interviewed in the second week of August. Not all could be reached for this story. Of those contacted, none has reported making a firm decision on their choice yet, but the debate did make some dents in their indecision. Robert Soltz, a 40-year-old registered Republican who had been leaning towards a Gore vote before the debate, felt differently Tuesday after he watched the debate at his parents� home in Las Vegas. He liked Bush�s tax plan better. He also felt Bush was "a lot more mature" by respecting the time limits while Gore interrupted and was more evasive. "If Gore is that evasive now, what will he be like when he�s the most powerful man in the world?" Soltz asked. "I went into it with the scales weighted in Gore�s favor, but his demeanor, policies and responses pushed me in the other direction." Rueben Davis, 29, of Talent, said he�s switched from Democrat to Pacific Green, but still caught part of the debate in between reading books to his 2-year-old son, Malakai. Although he said he wants to vote for Ralph Nader, he may cast his ballot for Gore on election night if the television news programs show a tight race. He said what he saw in the debate made him feel better about voting for Gore ... if he has to. "Al Gore definitely took the high road," Davis said. "It�s a hard thing to do when someone is taking pot shots at you. "He�s definitely the lesser of two evils." Newt Likely, a 76-year-old nonaffiliated voter from Jacksonville, said he was disappointed in both candidates. "I�ll wait to see a little more," Likely said. "I think Bush came out a little stronger. He seemed to be a little more decisive. Al Gore didn�t direct himself to the questions very much." "Still. Nothing swayed me." Epstein said she is looking forward to watching the rest of the debates, even though the candidates irritated her Tuesday. She didn�t like Bush�s dramatic sighs and nervous giggle. She didn�t appreciate Gore�s paper tearing and question avoidance. She said both missed their chance to impress her, by focusing on the middle class and leaving out discussion of poverty in the United States. "I know people out here in the Applegate who are so poor they can�t afford to send their children to school," Epstein said. "They can�t afford transportation, clothes and lunch money. The candidates didn�t talk about people without health insurance." Epstein said if forced to vote today, she�d be inclined to mark her ballot for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan even though she despises his stand against a woman�s right to choose an abortion. "Or," she said dejectedly, "I may not vote for anyone." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.