If we want to truly respect the spirit of democracy, we should have one televised debate with the leaders of all 19 parties that ran candidates in the last election. Tens of thousands of people vote for "other" and they are not being represented. I say we either do more one on one debates with the top two parties, or we do debates with every single party. Let's get our Rhinos, our Marxist Leninists, Animal Alliance Environment Voters, Christian Heritage, First People's National, and so on and so forth. 7,000 Canadians voted for 26 Libertarians in 2008. Why isn't Dennis Young in the debates. Would Elizabeth say that Dennis is too small? Why not even more than just her? For all the media attention she's getting, why doesn't anyone ask her that question? If we are going to have the Green Party, why not the Marijuana Party? Is it that the Greens have a bigger budget that they should be allowed to crowd out the smaller players?
Let's allow no one party to ever really be allowed to talk for more than short sound bits in our debates. Maybe the more fringe elements you include the more the debates dilute the messages of the only two parties capable of forming government, but listening to Elizabeth May, you'd think everybody should be there. So screw it, let's have one with everybody. Then do the rest on demand.
A Royal rumble with a new leader entering the cage every 3 minutes?
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats did something with 5-8 candidates across the US before picking Obama. How did that work out? Will he be a one term President with the worst losses in senate and congress in history?
I think Stephen Harper would be great in a one on one debate, but today he said that he wouldn't do one. I disagree with that decision.
ReplyDeleteHe's getting killed for not agreeing to the one one on after he said he would...I dont understand why he wouldnt.
ReplyDeleteHe would slaughter the Count, but I understood him to say a one on one with the Count or the regular forum. Not both. The powers that be said all 4. I just hope he has a decent interrupter for the French debate, not some whiny femal sounding male.
ReplyDeleteI still think he should find someone who does voices and hire him to do his interrupting.
And I would love that body language lady that is on Bill O's show now and again to do a live take on the debaters. Warning, keep out of the way of the Counts arms and hands.
He said he would be more than willing to go head to toe with Ignatieff but that he didn't want multiple debates - which is what would have happened since all the other's started screaming that a one-on-one would have exclude them. He had suggested that the group debate be extended to allow time for a one-on-one, Ignatieff wanted separate debates at different times. More face time I guess. But in the end it came down to the broadcasters & they said no to it all because both leaders had different requests & they weren't about to try & schedule in another debate at a different time.
ReplyDeleteIt's over, it's done, the debates are set *by the broadcasters* - but the media will spin this for all it's worth without once mentioning Ignatieff's refusal to simply run the debate longer. Whether the broadcasters would have agreed to that or not, who knows - but the chances of it happening would have been far greater.
My guess is that MSM wouldn't want it because Ignatieff would never win a debate if it had to be on policies & facts. He would have been toast.
Arrrrrrg, don't ye be forgettin' the Pirate Party, ya salty dog.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pirateparty.ca/
I just can't wait for the Communist and Marxist-Leninist parties to debate the finer points of dialectical materialism.
ReplyDeleteShould be a real barn burner.
What a great Debut show for Sun TV News. Come live to air with the Iggy/Harper debate. Who can forward this to the powers within Sun TV. Charles Adler could be the host of this debate. Don't forget, Iggy did say anytime, anyplace. I think Harper is planning this so it looks like he was dragged to this debate. Then he would lay a licking on Iggy and nobody can twist it around to say "How Mean Spirited Of Harper"
ReplyDeleteYou forgot the Yogic Flying Party. The lawyers will be in touch....
ReplyDelete