by MICHAEL CHARNEY

I know: You're thinking that's a pretty silly question.

We know who'll be watching the debate, don't we, since it's always pretty much the same people: political junkies, hard-core extremists with their minds already made up, the family members of pundits, and a small set of undecideds who might actually decided to un-undecide based on tonight's performance. Adding them all together makes up a goodly number (I've always loved the word "goodly"), but on a percentage basis, the expected viewership is still only somewhere around the same amount that tuned into the series finale of Family Ties.

But that's not really the question I was asking. Better phrased, perhaps, would be, "Who will I be while watching the debate? That's a tougher question to answer since there are so many parts of me that care.

Will I be watching as a Republican? Probably, which means I'll be rooting, a little bit, for Mitt Romney to turn in a stellar performance (which means, by the way, much more than simply not encountering his own foot while speaking). I will want to hear a sense of statesmanship that demands respect, something my party has rarely experienced in recent days.

Will I be watching as a swing-stater? Yes, since I live in New Hampshire, and this is one of those rare elections where our four measly electoral college votes might mean something (especially since I've seen at least one odd little map that shows this could be a tie!)

Will I be watching as a member of the Coffee Party? Undoubtedly, which means I'll be on the lookout for factless truth and innuendo sans logic, while praying for any sense of real substance, something that can actually help people make up their minds without first making them afraid of the other guy.

Will I be watching as the author of Chasing Glenn Beck? Certainly, which means I'll be listening to the pundits, rolling my eyes every time Sean Hannity or Al Sharpton speaks, and wondering why they get the big bucks while I continue to fight the good fight in relative obscurity.

And will I be watching as a husband and father and citizen? Of course, since I'm someone who truly wants what's best for the country and hopes beyond hope that, whomever wins, the American people can rally behind him and find a way to jumpstart meaningful conversations that can--finally--lead to addressing our very real and very urgent problems.

My guess is that I'll likely be all of these people tonight, and that you will have your various incarnations, too. Be all of the people you are; listen from every angle That's important. But remember that it's you that gets to make the decision here. The people on that stage--and in the studios covering the debate--will try desperately to tell you what to think. They will try to pigeon-hole you into one thing, one kind of person.  They'll tell you you're in the 47%, or that you;re a senior citizen, or a woman, or disabled, or gay. We need to remind them that we won't be defined that way, that we can be all of these things (and more) at the same time, and that--as complete people--we'll decide.

So watch. And decide.