Perhaps the best thing that can be said about the final debate between the two candidates for U.S. Senate was that no one called anyone a liar.

But Thursday’s debate between Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, was heated, with Mandel basically accusing Brown of robbing the Social Security Trust Fund and Brown schooling Mandel on the basics of being a senator.

“I know this sounds like Washington-speak to Josh, but you have to vote yes or no on issues,” he said at one point when Mandel wouldn’t say whether he opposed or supported a particular measure.

At one point during the debate, one of the questioners asked Mandel to name two things he could reach agreement with Brown on. He couldn’t, instead accusing Brown of using taxpayer money to support nations that harbored terrorists and not supporting energy exploration. Brown, meanwhile, named three examples of bills he’d worked on with Republicans, but also couldn’t come up with an area where he agreed with Mandel.

The two also parried on the auto bailout, which Brown, 59, supported. Brown said he was “proud of his work,” and cited it as a key reason Ohio’s economy has recovered more quickly than the rest of the nation’s.

“My opponent says my vote for the auto rescue – and I assume Sen. Voinovich’s – was un-American. To me, that vote was doing my job to fight for their jobs.”

But Mandel, 35, seemed to indicate he opposed all bailouts. “I’m not a bailout senator,” he said. “There’s no government bailout that I can think of that I would ever support.”

Mandel also said he “has not come out in support” of Republican vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which called for reshaping Medicare.

“I believe it is unfair to change Medicare or Social Security for my grandmother and her generation and my parents and my generation,” he said, before accusing “politicians in Washington” of stealing from the Social Security Trust Fund. “We need to make common sense cuts in other parts of our government in order to fund Social Security and Medicare far into our future.”

He said he’d consider raising the retirement eligibility age for “folks at least my age, probably some who are older,” but not for baby boomers.

Brown, meanwhile, said he wouldn’t raise the retirement age for either program, saying it’s unfair to ask working class people to work until they’re 70.

He said the programs are “reliable and will be reliable for this generation and the next generation.”

“Where did that money go for Social Security?” Mandel replied, while Brown looked quizzical. “What did you do with it?”

The two also sparred on abortion. Mandel was asked about a pledge he’d signed with Cincinnati Right to Life indicating he’d oppose abortion on demand without exception. He said abortion on demand does not include exceptions to protect the life of the mother.

He said he supported laws to encourage adoption, the ban of federal dollars to pay for abortions and abortions in the ninth month. “Sherrod Brown is an extremist on this issue,” Mandel said.

“I trust Ohio women to make their own decisions about their health care,” Brown said.

The debate, which was held at WCET-TV in downtown Cincinnati was moderated by Chuck Todd of NBC and aired live on NBC affiliates throughout the state. It was sponsored by the Ohio NBC Affiliated Television Stations and AARP.

Before the debate, a couple hundred Brown and Mandel supporters rallied outside, with Brown supporters chanting, “Sherrod! Sherrod,” when the first-term senator arrived. Mandel supporters countered by chanting, “Brown kills jobs!” The Brown supporters appeared to outnumber the Mandel supporters, with many wearing T-shirts supporting individual unions.

Dave McCall, a district director for the United Steelworkers, said the group has gathered at previous debates and decided to come last week to “welcome the senator.”

“He’s supported us,” McCall, of Reynoldsburg, said. “He’s done all the right stuff for us, for workers.”

On the other side of the crowd, Adriana Inman of Butler County held up a sign supporting Mandel. “We need someone new.”