Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 --- 6:54 p.m.
Reporter: Chris Papst

With the economy on everyone's mind, two economic heavyweights squared off at the UW.

Dr. Ike Brannon and Dr. Austan Goolsbee met at Grainger Hall to fight for their candidates.

"In the next two hours we hope to learn how a McCain or Obama administration would shape the economic agenda from two people who would play a large roll is setting those agendas," said debate moderator Michael Knetter.

The current shape of the economy was up first. Dr. Brannon says John McCain's plan would use the recently passed bailout to buy bad loans and provide a 30-year mortgage at 5.25 percent to the homeowner.

He says since this situation started with falling home prices, that is where their focus should be.

"We need another round of stimulus, which he has been calling for," Brannon said.

But Dr. Goolsbee disagrees, saying that would reward irresponsible lenders. And Barack Obama's plan to focus on ordinary Americans by giving another stimulus check would work best.

Throughout the debate, economic topics that have been pushed aside by the current crises were also addressed, like the income gap and free trade.

"Senator McCain is all for free trade and freeing up new opportunities around the globe," Brannon said, "and Senator Obama has indicated he would like to retrench, maybe pull out of NAFTA."

"Barack Obama has supported free trade agreements - he has opposed free trade agreements," Goolsbee said. "The main thing he judges is that he looks at it and says is this riddled with loopholes or is it looking out for ordinary Americans and is it going to help the economy grow."