McCain supporters found at Emeryville’s historic eatery.
BY KATE KILPATRICK // Gathered around the copper bar at Emeryville’s upscale Townhouse restaurant on Tuesday night were a handful of folks seldom found in these parts: McCain supporters.

The volume on the flatscreen TV above the bar was turned down as Senators John McCain and Barack Obama faced off in the second of three presidential debates before election day.

MSNBC correspondent Tom Brokaw moderated the townhall-style Q&A, which was hosted by Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. The audience of undecided voters joined Internet participants in posing questions on a range of issues from foreign policy and health care to tax reform and—no surprise here—how to fix the economy.

In Emeryville’s previous neighborhood coverage of the TV debates turned up Obama fans in abundance. So much so that we began to wonder where in Emeryville all the McCain supporters were hiding.

“Ninety-five percent of my friends are liberal,” said Bob Blane, a retired engineer and small businessman who’s lived in Emeryville the past 36 years. Blane said he supports abortion rights and gay marriage, but is staunchly pro-business and aligns himself with Republicans on most economic issues.

“I don’t want big government to take care of me. I’ll take care of myself,” said Blane, his cheeks reddening as the bartender refreshed his martini. “I work for private enterprise. I have employees and their families to support.”

Sitting at the end of the bar were coworkers Brooke Grosskopf and Scott Craig, both staying in Emeryville on business.

“I’m from Montana so I’m Republican all the way,” Grosskopf said between bites of asparagus risotto. “It’s been really interesting for me working down here because I have to watch what I say.”

Although she hasn’t been following the election trail “a ton,” Grosskopf said one issue matters to her most. “My husband and I are very pro-gun, so obviously there’s one candidate who’s more pro-gun than the other.”

Craig, a Tennessee native now based in Portland, Ore., said he’d like to see Ron Paul in the White House, but will probably vote for McCain.

Following the closed captioning onscreen, Craig found it hard to tell who won the debate.

“McCain’s body language … he’s gesticulating a lot,” said Craig. “He’s obviously trying to make his point and be very forceful. And Obama appears … Obama’s a great orator. I have no idea if he’s tripping over his tongue, but I don’t think he is. He appears to have an answer for everything.”

A few seats over from Grosskopf and Craig sat Don Jacobs, a Boston native who works at a tech company in Emeryville.

“Such words, words, words,” said Jacobs, holding a slow-roasted beef taco halfway between his plate and mouth. “They all [give] the same scripted answers. I have election frazzle.”

According to Jacobs, the issue of greatest national importance is fiscal responsibility.

“The only reason I’d vote for John McCain right now is to have a mixed government—a Republican in the White House and a Democratic Congress,” he said. “Historically the government does better in terms of fiscal responsibility when you have that dichotomy.”

As the nominees exited the stage and the bar guests settled their bills, Texan-born Ed Gaspredes, a Townhouse regular, was left watching the post-debate analysis alone.

He was unimpressed by what he’d seen.

“Neither candidate addressed anything that has to do with the well-being of me or the country,” Gaspredes said. “If I had the opportunity I would ask, ‘What are you going to do to fix the country?’ It’s far more reaching than Afghanistan or the bailout.”

Gaspredes said he wants a leader who will fix the economy, deal with the Bush legacy, figure out a solution to social security, and appoint Supreme Court justices who support personal rights.

“I don’t know at this point,” he said, when asked whom he plans to vote for. “I don’t know that either of them represent who I want as president.”