7:00 pm: We are ready to go! Vegas had the over/under on “coalition” mentions by Stephen Harper at 8.5. Place your bets!
7:02 pm: Fun fact – this set was also used in the 1972 debate. Geez, you think they could have used some of the G20 stimulus money on new panelling.
7:08 pm: I’ll give Duceppe-Harper to Harper. The debate is all on the stimulus program, allowing Harper to tout what he has done, rather than talking about G20 waste or corporate tax cuts.
7:11 pm: Jack Layton to Stephen Harper – “you used to care about the environment”. Huh? Maybe when he was 5.
7:28 pm: Michael versus Jack…let’s call it a wash. After all, foreign policy won’t move any votes. The debate does give us the first “podium pounding” of the night, courtesy of Ignatieff.
7:34 pm: Well, that’s 5 questions Harper has answered. Time to go home!
7:40 pm: Harper versus Ignatieff…on the coalition! Oh man, here we go.
7:44 pm: WTF moment of the night, courtesy of Harper – “I don’t think these personal attacks back and forth are productive.”
7:48 pm: Iggy versus Harper…I give it to Ignatieff for looking strong and forceful. “This isn’t bickering, this is democracy” is likely the media clip of the night. But Ignatieff has made his point on contempt. He needs to start giving viewers a reason to vote for him.
7:57 pm: The last 10 minutes of coalitions, letters from 7 years ago, proportional representation, and how governments are formed was a lot of fun for polisci clubs watching. But I can’t imagine anyone else in Canada caring about this. Harper takes this exchange for making the simple point that Canadians don’t want mor elections.
8:08 pm: Layton versus Duceppe…I’l admit I found myself wishing there was a hockey game on I could switch over to. I did enjoy Jack implying we aren’t making enough babies though.
8:39 pm: And Jack Layton makes history by making the first ever Twitter joke in a nationally televised debate. And, I assume, the first to use the word “bling”. Somebody is courting the youth vote!
8:52 pm: Harper calls Health Care his top priority. What about our fragile economic recovery?
9:00 pm: Now we SPIN! I’ll have my thoughts later tonight. Comment away!