Fed election 2015, essay 2

Tonight was the leaders debate. Yes I watched.

Ever since "You had an option, sir, you could have said no" the debaters have been so prepared to avoid giving an opening that there isn't much give and take. There is nothing spontaneous about them any more. So in that sense, I think they said what they wanted to say. They've practiced so much that a few key words in a question triggers an automatic response that might or might not have much to do  with the question.

Harper has no choice but to continue the spin he has put on things. Nice of him to admit we are in a recession now. He's been doing this for a long time now, and he's good at his image. He certainly wasn't going to show that any punches landed. He knows his talking points and he's prepared to repeat them till he's blue in the face.

I think May showed her preparation best. Facts, figures, clear, concise. I was impressed. We all know she isn't going to be Prime Minister after the election, and she knows it too, so she's playing to a bit of a different audience. Unquestionably it was better having her there than doing without her.

Mulcair had me puzzled for a while. He seemed very stiff at the beginning, while trying to come across as friendly. I'm not sure it was a good mix. He's beginning to take some heat on his positions, and that's a good thing.

Trudeau needed to do well in this debate to get back into the fight, and overcome the "just not ready" narrative. I think he did that, up until his loopy closing remarks. That was such a shift into the touchy feely world I was surprised. I don't think he undid himself there, but he didn't do himself any favours.

Did it change my perceptions? I don't think so. Harper is on my ballot, but the other 3 are not. I need to do some research on the actual candidates in my riding. As I've said, if the Green candidate is half as good as May, they'd get my vote in a heartbeat. I'll see.

I watched on the Maclean's site, and I was disappointed in the coverage. They tried to do too much, and it seemed rushed. I like it when they find someone that really knows their stuff, and they let them talk. The quick cuts between interviewers just wastes time and distracts me.

So far, nobody at work is talking about the election. Nobody at all. My take on it so far is that nobody wants to think about it for a while.