Alberta Debate Live Blog
6:35 pm: Fairly flat opening statements for all four leaders. Vision, future, prosperity, puppies, sunshine.
6:42 pm: Health Care starts with a very substantive discussion between Sherman and Redford, then Mason and Sherman tag team arguing the "two conservative parties" want to privatize Health Care.
6:48 pm: You know what this debate is missing? Gilles Duceppe.
6:51 pm: Raj Sherman uses the term "Fudgeit Budget" twice to describe Redford's budget. I don't think that's going to catch on.
6:52 pm: Brian Mason has crunched the numbers and believes Alison Redford's plan will bring in one billion more than she estimates, which is...bad?
And, no offense Brian, but I would have quoted someone with a little more credibility on economic forecasts than yourself. Like, say, an economist, or a Ouija board.
6:55 pm: Raj Sherman says "Alberta is not Alabama". True. It definitely isn't snowing in Alabama today.
7:05 pm: So the format calls for a question to each leader to kick off the debate. Redford got a tough question on Health Care, Sherman was asked about his plan to raise taxes, and Danielle Smith got the abortion question. Brian Mason's question: "that no meet committee is awful, eh?". Tough one.
7:32 pm: Redford goes after Smith on giving money to candidates who crossed the floor. Smith: "the chief electoral officer is too busy investigating PC corruption to look into this". Redford goes after Smith for her lack of experience. Smith: "You're right, I don't have experience. I don't have experience running deficits. I don't have experience intimidating doctors. I don't have experience giving myself a 30% pay hike".
7:52 pm: Danielle Smith hints about how she'd be able to work with the Liberals and NDP in a minority (coalition?) government. That comments probably inspired 30 newspaper columns and 2 sitcom pilots.
8:00 pm: I'll do a proper write up tomorrow morning, but my initial reaction is that Smith is winning the election but Redford spent more time than her on defense tonight. So I give it to Danielle, even though she wasn't quite as charming as she comes across in photo ops and sound bytes.
6:42 pm: Health Care starts with a very substantive discussion between Sherman and Redford, then Mason and Sherman tag team arguing the "two conservative parties" want to privatize Health Care.
6:48 pm: You know what this debate is missing? Gilles Duceppe.
6:51 pm: Raj Sherman uses the term "Fudgeit Budget" twice to describe Redford's budget. I don't think that's going to catch on.
6:52 pm: Brian Mason has crunched the numbers and believes Alison Redford's plan will bring in one billion more than she estimates, which is...bad?
And, no offense Brian, but I would have quoted someone with a little more credibility on economic forecasts than yourself. Like, say, an economist, or a Ouija board.
6:55 pm: Raj Sherman says "Alberta is not Alabama". True. It definitely isn't snowing in Alabama today.
7:05 pm: So the format calls for a question to each leader to kick off the debate. Redford got a tough question on Health Care, Sherman was asked about his plan to raise taxes, and Danielle Smith got the abortion question. Brian Mason's question: "that no meet committee is awful, eh?". Tough one.
7:32 pm: Redford goes after Smith on giving money to candidates who crossed the floor. Smith: "the chief electoral officer is too busy investigating PC corruption to look into this". Redford goes after Smith for her lack of experience. Smith: "You're right, I don't have experience. I don't have experience running deficits. I don't have experience intimidating doctors. I don't have experience giving myself a 30% pay hike".
7:52 pm: Danielle Smith hints about how she'd be able to work with the Liberals and NDP in a minority (coalition?) government. That comments probably inspired 30 newspaper columns and 2 sitcom pilots.
8:00 pm: I'll do a proper write up tomorrow morning, but my initial reaction is that Smith is winning the election but Redford spent more time than her on defense tonight. So I give it to Danielle, even though she wasn't quite as charming as she comes across in photo ops and sound bytes.
Labels: 2012 Alberta Election
posted by calgarygrit at
8:29 p.m.
8 Comments:
Why do albertans not pay for health care like we used to? Seems to me it would solve a lot of Health care finances!
By
Anonymous, at 9:16 p.m.
Sherman vs. Redford on "no-meet" looked like Trudeau vs. Brazeau; she literally looked like she was going to keel over!
By
Herbert B. Patrotage, at 9:27 p.m.
I'm not sure why Mason felt the need to interrupt the "you're more crooked than I am" exchange Redford and Smith were having. Let them punch each other out!
By
Don, at 9:39 p.m.
The fact that everyone went after Redford is enough to call Smith the winner.
Redford eventually hit her stride - credit for that.
Sherman was AWFUL. Why was he admitting to tax increases? Dodge the question, dummy!
Mason was strong (but his message weak).
By
Robert Vollman, at 10:05 p.m.
Ms. Redford finished 4th in tonight's debate, and it's beginning to look quite possible that her party will finish 4th on election day.
By
Herbert B. Patrotage, at 11:33 p.m.
I've no idea which debate Herbert was watching, but as an avowed party hater and European liberal my view is that the results were the opposite to what he is peddling.
I thought Redford handled the pile on well and actually looked like a leader. Raj was stiff but honest. NDP man was cute but ineffectual and Smith was restricted to talking points. She was useless without some kind of guidance and her inexperience was plain to see.
But hey Herbert keep plucking that chicken.
By
harebell, at 12:54 a.m.
Danielle won the debate and will lead her party to victory in 10 days. Raj went in with the least expectations of him and sufficiently exceeded them to stave off bleeding of Liberal votes to other parties. Brian was competent as always, but less effective than he is in QP. Alison had the burden of defending a guilty party, and it showed in her freakish googly eyes and facial contortions.
By
Herbert B. Patrotage, at 9:00 a.m.
Is the facial thing with Redford a medical condition of some kind?
By
Scoopie, at 10:17 a.m.
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