That is striking when you consider that last night’s finale was televised on one fewer network, because Fox had baseball playoffs and that the first debate came amid the $700-billion bailout battle and Sen. John McCain’s threats to stand up Sen. Barack Obama on the big night.

The Live Feed reports:

Nielsen estimates the Long Island debate between Barack Obama and John McCain registered a 38.3 metered-market household rating — higher than the first debate held on a Friday (34.7 million) and lower than the second bout, held on a Tuesday (42.1)… it’s lower than the vp debate, which stands as the second most-watched of all time.

Apolitical voters may only tune in near the homestretch of campaigns, so it’s possible that some cohorts simply did not start watching until the second and third debates, while Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s novelty drew audiences beyond the traditional universe of registered voters.

I think McCain’s arguments got sharper and better in the final two debates too, so it would be interesting to know whether he did better among voters who only saw him as he improved his game.

Speaking to a crowd of 4,100 here, Sen. Barack Obama mocked his rival’s emphasis on Joe the Plumber in the final presidential debate.

“How many plumbers do you know making over a quarter of a million dollars?” he asked the crowd, arguing that average Joes would fare much better under Obama’s tax cut plan.

To hammer home how his middle-class tax cuts would help most Americans — in contrast to Sen. John McCain’s emphasis on corporate and capital-gains taxes — Obama also asked for a show of hands for who makes less than $250,000. Most of the hands in the crowd shot up.

The rally at an apple farm in this small swing state is Obama’s only public event today.  He also has two fundraisers on his schedule, including a rock concert with Bruce Springstein and an appearance at the private “Al Smith” dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

The campaign’s official message remains diligently cautious.  An Obama introducer tried to calm the crowd of 4,100, stressing that polls are unreliable, especially in New Hampshire, where Obama’s surge in popularity in January did not help him carry the state primary.  That talking point is clearly on the prowl.  The candidate said the same thing at a fundraiser in New York this morning, recounting the “spanking” he received in New Hampshire.

Obama plans to tout the final debate as proof that Sen. John McCain is in denial about his fidelity to President Bush’s domestic policies. “Last night, Sen. McCain said that George Bush won’t be on the ballot this November,” reads Obama’s address, according to prepared remarks released by the campaign. “But let’s be clear: his policies will. Because in three debates and over 20 months, John McCain hasn’t explained a single thing that he would do differently from George Bush when it comes to the most important economic issues we face today. Not one,” continues Obama’s speech. “Here’s the truth, New Hampshire. John McCain voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.”

The address then ticks off economic priorites that McCain and Bush share.

We’ve all seen this movie before, but it’s a tack that seesm to work well for Obama.

The fall scenery here is idyllic, with scarecrows and pumpkins studding the field where Obama is speaking.  The press filling center is spot in the middle of a cavernous apple barn, stacked to the ceiling with six rows of giant apple carts (pictures at right).

Gov. John Lynch also hit a few local notes in his opening remarks. He told the voters of his state that only Obama would improve the local economy, and that the Democratic nominee’s post-partisan promise complimented the state’s independent spirit.

“Here in New Hampshire we’re able to put partisan politics aside,” he declared, arguing that Obama would take that same spirit to Washington.