PORT TOWNSEND ¬­– For just more than 90 minutes on Wednesday night, the Water Street Brewing Co. restaurant and bar played host to a very different scene than usual, as nearly 100 people settled in to watch the presidential debate.

There were still those dim, multicolored lights and the sampling of different types of microbrews. The deep fried french fries and the high stacked hamburgers still crowded tables on oversized plates.

The smell of hard alcohol and malt vinegar still wafted through the room.

That was all the same.

But the muffled silence as the television blared?

A group of patrons all watching, nodding, laughing and cheering at the same time as they intently watched presidential candidates sparring?

That was new for this bar.

At 5 p.m., the first of those attending the airing of the final presidential debate began to crowd the small bar at the corner of Water and Quincy streets.

The talk among them was tense at times, even though their allegiances were largely the same. The public gathering was hosted by the Jefferson County Democratic Party, and judging by their responses, all there were Democrats, rooting for Sen. Barrack Obama against Republican Sen. John McCain.

They all agreed that the Nov. 4 presidential election — for which ballots were mailed on Wednesday — will be pivotal.

At 6 p.m., they all turned to the large screen mounted on the wall and watched as the drama unfolded.

It would be silly to ask what this group thought of the final presidential debate. If you attended the party, it was clear.

When McCain balked or stuttered there was a snicker or a laugh. When Obama finished explaining a finer point on one of his campaign issues, there was applause and the occasional hoot or holler.

Obama is their man, but on Wednesday night that’s not what mattered.

What mattered to this group was that people showed up to drink a beer and listen to politics.

“This is delightful and it’s encouraging,” said County Commissioner John Austin, D-Port Ludlow.

“There’s not a single empty seat in the house. I couldn’t even find a chair.”

People care

Austin, who sat on the edge of the stage in the bar, said the turnout showed that people care about this election.

“It was much fuller than I expected, and that confirms that people have studied and cared about the issues in this election,” he said.

Teri Nomura, Jefferson County Democratic Party chairwoman, said she didn’t expect so many people to show up, but still was not surprised by the turnout.

“Some of them I expected, and I knew who they were, but at least half of them were new to me,” Nomura said.

“What was interesting was that every single person was watching. They really wanted to hear what the candidates had to say.”

Lori Macklin, a Port Townsend resident who served as an Obama delegate at the Democratic National Convention, said she was thrilled to have helped turn this many people out.

“I knew at least 20 people would be here because I posted the meeting online and they responded,” she said.

“But I got here at 5 p.m. and the tables were full.

“This is good because complacency is not our friend and tonight we saw a lot of energy.”

Who won?

So who won the debate?

If it were up to this crowd, it would be Obama.

Their applause, their hoots and their hollers for the man answered that question.

But what was said in the debate might be the more important than pundits picking a winner.

In 19 days the country will decide who its next president will be and this discourse between McCain and Obama will be remembered as promises made, Nomura said.

“Whoever is picked, we will remember these debates and look back to them for what was said,” Nomura said.

“We’re all in this together and we do need change.”

Be it bar, living room or library — such as the Port Angeles Public Library where 25 people showed up to watch the debate in a event hosted by Clallam County Democrats — it might only be important that people showed up to watch before they make their decision.

And in a Port Townsend bar, for just over 90 minutes, Jefferson County Democrats showed up.

They all cocked their heads toward an elevated TV screen to watch, to listen, to discuss and to maybe have a beer in the moments in between.

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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com