ALBUQUERQUE — For the second night in a row, Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Darren White debated. With a congressional seat at stake, you might have expected a feisty exchange or two.

But it didn’t happen.

The debate was broadcast by several public TV and radio stations and hosted by New Mexico First, and though questions were drawn from local focus groups, the format was stifling and didn’t allow the candidates any room to mix it up.

Audience members asked earnest questions regarding health care, education, energy and fiscal policy. For the most part, the candidates answered with platitudes and pablum.

My favorite moment was White calling the recent $700 billion government bailout of the nation’s largest bankrupt financial institutions “obscene.” It was the rare moment when there seemed to be some passion in the room.

As for Heinrich, I can only surmise his campaign’s polling shows him leading the race and he decided to go for style over substance. Throughout the night, he stuck to Democratic Party talking points and never challenged White’s occasional dubious assertions.

On the topic of education, White veered toward Democrat territory when he spoke disapprovingly of No Child Left Behind. But overall, neither candidate said anything you haven’t heard before.

On health care, both candidates sang the virtues of preventative care, of making health care more accessible and more affordable for all Americans, of allowing folks to get coverage despite pre-existing conditions, of supporting SCHIP and so on. Even the moderator ruefully intoned, “What’s the difference?”

Besides similar rhetoric, White, parroting George W. Bush, called for tort reform to get rid of those “frivolous lawsuits.” Here was a perfect opportunity for Heinrich to connect White to the president and talk about eight years of White House inaction. But instead, Heinrich played the party-line card, saying he would “take on” the insurance companies and “Big Pharma.”

On energy and the environment, Heinrich talked about creating sustainable energy jobs locally, shifting to renewable energy, driving electric cars and getting away from dependence on liquid fossil fuels.

White talked about our nation’s “addiction to oil,” suggested it’s not a good idea to buy oil from countries that “don’t like us,” or “like to shoot at us.” He mentioned “investing in renewable energy” and most notably took a shine to France’s nuclear power production.

As for bringing federal dollars to Sandia National Laboratories, both candidates agreed that it is “absolutely critical” that the New Mexico congressional delegation keep those dollars coming our way. They agreed we’re blessed to have the labs here in New Mexico, blessed to have the science, technology and jobs.

On fiscal policy, the two candidates vied for the crown of champion of the middle class.

White repeatedly tried to pin our nation’s economic troubles on Congress, as if the Bush administration never existed. He said “Congress is raiding our seniors,” in reference to Social Security. He said he would vote to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts passed by Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress permanent. He channeled Bush again, calling for the termination of the “death tax” which he said would allow the federal government’s “grubby hands” to take a farmer’s land in Torrance County.

Heinrich surprisingly never mentioned President Bush when talking fiscal policy, ignored White’s aforementioned statement and instead stuck to the Democratic platform’s talking points: stop spending $12 billion in Iraq every month, bring troops home and invest the money into the domestic economy, invest in the middle class and so on.

For the record, there is no such thing as a “death tax.” It is an estate tax and only the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans are affected by it, and those folks have accountants who figure out ways to minimize the obligation. It is not likely that the average CD1 voter even knows anyone who will ever pay federal estate taxes. It’s a talking point that most egregiously panders to wealthy Americans and it amazes me that only a few Democrats have an answer to it.

What’s more, Heinrich never responded to White’s bizarre claim that Heinrich raised taxes on health care and housing while on the Albuquerque City Council. The council sets the gross receipts tax rate, similar to a sales tax, and the revenue from it is what enables the city to spend money on services. The revenue goes up as the economy grows and therefore the city has more money to spend. But how can a city councilor raise taxes on health care and housing?

Here’s the rub. This race is very close, and the candidates are using the same strategy — stick to the party-line talking points, solidify your base support, fill up the airwaves with hateful, misleading trash, and pray for high turnout in precincts that lean your way in party affiliation — in hopes of winning a narrow victory.