Debates are the best ways for voters to get to know candidates for office — especially when those candidates have never served in a specific office before. Especially when they are not well-known to the electorate.

It's not so much that Mike Capuano changed his mind on health care and that abortion ban as that he was blasting Coakley for taking the same position he adopted that has some riled and puzzled.

Because of the amendment barring the use of federal funds for most abortions - Pagliuca and Khazei say they would have voted for it despite that - Blue Mass. Group reports.

At Blue Mass. Group, David Kravits makes the case. At issue: What Coakley said in response to some question by Janet Wu on Channel 5's new political show. Speaking of which, KennedySeat.com wonders when the adults will show up on the show:

... In the three episodes of this show I have watched (I skipped Christy), I have continually been struck by how the guests just run circles around the hosts, who are clearly overmatched. Even Pagliuca, who is a neophyte in the political world, handled the Channel 5 team easily. ...

You may have read about the poll showing Martha Coakley's inevitability. David Bernstein explains why the numbers are meaningless and Coakley's campaign was dumb to release them.

The Globe reports that Martha Coakley's office says it is now "involved" in Secretary of State Bill Galvin's effort to get City Hall to recover and turn over all those deleted e-mail messages.

Mike Ball reminds us of all the stories circling around Boston, most of which seem unlikely to affect upcoming elections:

• The Mayor's top aide deleting thousands of emails, including those likely relating to subjects of federal corruption cases.
• A mayoral candidate with a long history as Council president in foiling public access to public meetings and records.
• A Senate candidate who refused to prosecute or even investigate corruption.
• A Councilor running for re-election under federal corruption indictment.

The Outraged Liberal is outraged at a Globe interview with Mike Capuano, in which he charges, without any challenges from the Globies, that he is more liberal than Martha Coakley.

... My issue is with Andrea Estes and the editors who allegedly exercise tight rein over their reporter charges. Where is the effort to challenge him on his assertions that "she's not a liberal."

Personally, I'd love to know where Capuano differs with Coakley -- and when I persisted in reading to the almost bitter end I found the public option and Afghanistan are areas I should explore.

On my own without help from the newspaper supposedly devoted to helping its diminishing stable of readers understand the personalities and issues of an historic election.

Reporters, particularly those who cover politics, love to declare they are equipped with BS detectors and that they hold politicians accountable. You sure couldn't prove it with this notebook dump. ...

The Herald reports Attorney General Martha Coakley has dismissed a request from three Boston mayoral candidate to investigate how and why e-mail disappeared from Tom Menino's City Hall:

Particularly understanding this is the middle of a campaign, we get lots of complaints from folks who are adversaries who have a particular agenda.

Kennedyseat.com reports and wonders if that's a bad omen for Stephen Lynch, supposedly the union guy in the race.