Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out McKenna.

[CBC]

Cured!

Click on the pic for more Obama/Baby goodness

I have to say I’m a little sad to see Dion go. He wasn’t what the Liberal party needed this time around, but I did feel a sort of affinity with him, with his postgraduate degrees, book writing, wacky student politics, and time spend abroad.  Stephane, if you ever want to get together and talk about books and politics I’ll be around. You can even help me with my French!

I’m not really feeling it with any of the new contenders (or people “who some observers say may have their eyes on the Liberal helm”, in vague CBC terms) . CBC’s smashing political montage didn’t exactly rouse my excitement, either:

They could be the same four people with slightly different hair, for christ’s sake. But I decided to actually read the article and found there were some interesting tidbits:

Ruby Dhalla: is under 40!

Bob Rae: used to be an NDPer! (I suspect this is one of those things every else already knows and tries to act surprised when I bring up in conversation)

Frank McKenna: Voted for Bill C-484 and is notoriously anti-choice. Um, what the hell? (hat tip to JJ)

Several candidates: worked for Michael Ignatieff at some point. Running against your former boss= awkward!

the Good:

• The round table is more like a debate than a speech, reminds me of my high school debating team days and allows for some good bickering and drama.
• The following transaction re: the Green shift:
  • Dion: you’re lying!
  • Harper: No I’m not!
  • Dion (looking sincerely into camera): don’t believe this man!
• May and Layton have some chemistry when they team up to take down Harper- if this were a different country I would say “running mate”?
• Canada cut hospital beds on recommendation by the IMF?! Good on May for bringing it up
• Ohhh arts question! And from Alberta
• Dion waxing poetic about art…”it brings us beauty”. *sniff*
• Harper says “I will never raise taxes” in a muffled voice from behind his water glass. I put this in “good” because it amused me and I am so over caring about taxes.

the Bad:

• Moderator addresses the candidates as “gentleman and lady.” Thankfully it’s the first and last time
• The first half hour is solely all about the economy and mostly taxes. Lots of boring talking points.
• 3 Tommy Douglas references by Layton FTW! Now I like Jack, but you, sir, are no Tommy Douglas.
• The first two questions are from middle class business men about money. Yawn.
• Yay! A question from a black women who asks about… her baby (who is, admittedly, adorable)
• Harper’s government created a lot of health care… commissions. No one cares about your commissions.
• Harper kind of plays the piano- that’s his art cred? FAIL.
• Harper: arts funding is “not effective”. Booo.
• Question about crime going “out of hand”. This isn’t true, as May points out.
• Remember the environment? Climate Change? Natural Resources? I suppose that’s all so passé.
• The last question is from someone who hasn’t voted in the last few elections. She doesn’t vote because she doesn’t trust politicians… sorry, if you didn’t vote against them you don’t get to complain.

WTF?

• May manages to make a question about hospitals about NAFTA. I’m totally lost.
• Big argument over who’s used a private clinic and who hasn’t- somehow Harper knows about the other candidates’ health records?
• Moderator: “are conservatives barbarians?” What kind of a question is that?
• 3 people have recently been killed in Layton’s riding by random bullets! Where is his riding, the Bronx?
• Question 6 is from a retiree who takes a break from hammering a shed to ask about what they’ll do in office with no “bullfeathers”. The line between folksy and annoying is thin, my friend.

And I am over and out… what did everyone else think?