Blog wisdom suggests that each one of them was the divergent, inspirational voice in their debate that didn’t simply toe the party line and avoid anything potentially offensive.
If these two candidates faced off in the general election, I imagine we’d see a true questioning of party lines on a national level. Both trend toward social liberalism and diverge on fiscal policy. Who knows where the votes would actually come down if fiscal and social conservatism were separated?
I hope that social media pressure and rising poll numbers can keep these guys in the debates, and prevent us from choosing among marginally different candidates. Romney/Guiliani/McCain vs. Clinton/Obama/Edwards is nothing but US politics as usual.