Layton looked good. Some pre-debate face airbrushing going on there. Didn't think he made much of an impact though. NDP supporters will think he did great -- and he didn't do bad -- but most of what he said was just swatted aside like a bug.
I couldn't figure out what Duceppe was talking about half the time, but he made me laugh a couple times. "If you shoot a duck, you have to register the duck. If you blow away a dog, the dog is registered. The only thing not registered is the gun." He's good for entertainment value if nothing else.
Iggy was at his best when he got passionate about an issue. My favourite moment in the whole debate was during his one on one with Layton when he was defending the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. He was off script, came across as being a genuine and intelligent person, and stomped all over Layton in the process. He had some other good moments too, but he appeared off balance at times and he returned back to his talking points too often, repeating the same things several times over. It was repeating that Liberal party script that lost me.
Harper never lost his cool. He answered everything with ease, and he denied every charge against him. A deal with the Bloc and the NDP? Denied. Corporate tax cuts? Denied. Didn't give cost data to parliament? Denied. And done with the same cool demeanor the whole time. His opponents were getting frustrated with him.
If I have to award a ribbon, it goes to Harper for his cool as a cucumber performance.
Notes:
1. The one-on-one format was awkward, and the one-on-ones between Layton/Duceppe and Iggy/Duceppe were especially lame. It was of interest to nobody and like a coffee break for Harper. Get rid of it.
2. Two national debates give Duceppe more air time than he deserves. He should be booted from the English language debate and replaced with Lizzy May, or with an empty seat.
8 comments:
I give it to Layton at the end of the day. Harper denied everything, in other words , he was telling lies. If he can outright lie on TV and get elected , it doesn't say much for the Canadian people.
They all lie or stretch the truth to some degree. Layton lied too, saying that all other countries were envious of our health care system or some crap like that, and that Obama tried to implement it in the U.S. That is total fiction. Most countries wouldn't touch our disfunctional health care system with a pole, and Obama's changes don't resemble our system at all.
I wouldn't agree with giving Duceppe the boot. The fact that he has virtually nothing to gain or lose in the English debate allows him to play the role of interrogator. I also like the fact that he seems more spontaneous/less rehearsed than the others.
I agree that Duceppe adds entertainment value, though.
I knew you drew but didn't know you did impressions !
I missed the debate due to an event but am sure I will catch part of the endless loop on CPAC !
@MrC: you should see my Charlie Sheen!
@ View from Seven: Duceppe gave Harper points by virtue of being a villain to the rest of the country. Anything Harper said to refute Duceppe were points for Harper. He should be tossed.
Layton seemed to be Harper's best friend when he beat on Iggy.
Iggy did well against Layton, but I agree with the post, his repeating of the "party line" was old and tiresome pretty quickly.
Bashing is easy. I didn't hear many realistic new ideas. Anybody can bash.
Harper wins by default.
I wonder if the Bloc would endorse a candidate in St Boniface?
It would be quite interesting to use the platform to suggest more sovereignty for the west and to generally crap on provincial issues as well.
As in the debate, the free flow facilitated by the "nothing to lose" position would make Manitoba politics much more interesting
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