“My decision was already made,” said Fitz Jordan, who is moving back to Oakland from Austin, TX.  “I’m getting more comfortable with Obama.”

The crowd of some 40 locals erupted in chants of “Obama, Obama,” after most of the democratic candidate’s answers to mediator Tom Brokaw’s questions.

“Obama was tearing McCain apart all night,” said Larrese Gooden, a real estate loan broker from Richmond who said Obama dominated the entire debate.  “Obama’s been doing his homework.”

Like Jordan and Gooden most watching at the market were Obama supporters.

“I haven’t run into any McCain supporters here,” said David Rubio of Oakland.  “But the country is clearly divided.”

Many of the supporters listened to the questions and expressed different reactions to the candidate’s responses.  Jordan particularly appreciated Obama’s answer to Brokaw’s question about the top priorities for the country.

“Obama articulately answered with patience,” said Jordan.  “He was far more realistic.”

“We’re going to have to prioritize, just like a family has to prioritize,” Obama said. “Energy we have to deal with today, because you’re paying $3.80 here in Nashville for gasoline, and it could go up. And it’s a strain on your family budget, but it’s also bad for our national security. … Health care is priority No. 2. … And, No. 3, we’ve got to deal with education so that our young people are competitive in a global economy.”

McCain answered the same question by addressing all three issues simultaneously.

“I think you can work on all three at once,” McCain said.  However, “we’re not going to be able to provide the same benefit for present-day workers that that present-day retirees have today.”

Jordan believes that McCain is not in touch with the American people.

“McCain sticks to the party line, not reality,” he said.  “We have to stop being a reactive nation, we need a better framework.”

Jordan and Gooden who are African-American men said they are very proud that Obama might be the first black president, but were adamant that race is not the main reason they’re voting for him.

“I don’t consider McCain the enemy,” said Gooden.  “The democrats and Obama’s platform is closer to my beliefs.  Black or not.”

According to a recent CNN poll 49 percent of Americans support Obama and 44 percent support McCain.  The nation is still deciding, but at the Emerybay Public Market a lot of decisions have already been made.  “Obama, Obama!” Gooden chanted with a huge smile on his face.