With their debate Thursday night at the University of Connecticut, Gov. Malloy and Tom Foley may have revived the real estate market in Florida. Between Foley's blithe recklessness and the governor's sputtering desperation, summer in a trailer park outside Tallahassee began to look good.

The debate's venom and demagoguery emphasized the severity of Connecticut's plight - recognition by the governor, the Democratic nominee, that despite his gunning the machine of government to a million revolutions per minute, people have yet to see results beyond a higher cost of living, and the refusal of Foley, the Republican nominee, to specify any policy change for saving money that might risk alienating special interests, which remain in control of the state.

Foley repeatedly called the governor a liar and even noted that Malloy, as mayor of Stamford, had been "investigated for corruption" but failed to acknowledge that Malloy had been resoundingly cleared. It was both preposterous and appalling, pandering to cynicism about politics and anger about declining living standards, a disgraceful calculation that the labels of "liar" and "corrupt" need only enough repetition to be believed.

But Foley may have scored by citing tax increases Malloy engineered, not only as governor but also as mayor. The governor could counter only that he had slowed the rate of increase in the state budget and had saved many government jobs by not cutting spending, as if taxpayers fear that government employees are overworked and underpaid.

Surprisingly, Foley also seemed to get the better of the exchange on education, wherein he contended that student performance has not really been improving. The governor called Foley's education proposals "dangerous" to struggling schools and boasted that the teacher unions had endorsed him, as if anyone but teachers themselves mistake their unions for advocates of the public interest.

While Foley continued to ridicule what he calls "Malloy math," wherein tax increases are construed as decreases and economic data is spun dizzily around to mislead, the Republican's own math about the state budget was ridiculous, though maybe not ridiculous enough for casual viewers to notice.

Foley would freeze state spending, not lay off state employees or extract concessions from their unions, improve education and transportation, and close the huge deficit projected in next year's state budget just by squeezing efficiencies out of state government's purchase of medical care. Such efficiencies could not close even a quarter of the budget gap, and they would take many months to devise and many more months to produce results, while the next budget will be due just a few weeks after the next governor takes office.

The governor noted that Foley's math implies big cuts in state financial aid to municipalities and thus layoffs of their employees. Of course neither the governor nor Foley can bring themselves to acknowledge that municipalities could handle such cuts with concessions from their unions.

The governor made his most favorable impression when earnestness and a little calm overcame his agitation and he pleaded simply that he is trying hard and doing his best in difficult circumstances. Indeed, not even the closest observers of state government can keep up with him. But while trying hard and doing one's best earn respect, they don't make one right or guarantee results.

As the debate ended, the governor lost control, exploding about a campaign finance violation by Foley, his arrests 21 and 33 years ago on motor vehicle charges that were dropped, layoffs by companies Foley owned, and a business loss on Foley's tax return, as if any of that matters more than the Stamford probe that came to naught. With earnestness and calm, the governor had gained sympathy. With his explosion, he conveyed desperation.