Candidates misjudge appetite for spending

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are nearly indistinguishable in their miscalculation of the American voters’ appetite for bigger and more expensive government and their misunderstanding of human nature. Both weaknesses were obvious last week as the presidential candidates faced off in their second debate. Let’s start with McCain’s Homeownership Resurgence Plan, a $300 million bailout package that dropped out of the blue during the town hall in Nashville. As described on his Web site, McCain’s plan would “purchase mortgages directly from homeowners and mortgage servicers, and replace them with manageable, fixed-rate mortgages that will keep families in their homes.” In other words, the government would offer foreclosure insurance to guara