Reactions of the English Debate for the 2008 Canadian Election
Link for those you who missed it or don't have cable, like me:
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/election-2008/english-debate/#clip98314
"Do you think Conservatives are barbarians?"
What kind of question is that?
---
Overall, I am pleased with Elizabeth May's presentation, but I don't think her answer to the 'What is the very first thing you're going to do when you get into office?' was wise. To me, the answers she gave (changing the electoral system and dealing with carbon emissions) are the issues considered the most important by the Green Party, but I don't think they are good choices as the FIRST thing that needs addressing, especially with what is going on economically right now in North America. (Of course, my own perception of the significance of the current economic conditions may be skewed, as my daily life is deep in the thick of it.) Although, since it is QUITE unlikely that she will be voted in as prime minister, I can understand why she may have taken the opportunity to focus on the party's core values.
Jack Layton impressed me more than I thought he would, and Stephane Dion impressed me less. I know a lot of people in B.C. are soured on the NDP, but they were no longer in power by the time I moved here, so I didn't get to see first hand the aspects that they didn't like. Based purely on their presentations in the debate, I think I would favour the NDP over the Liberals.
I think they certainly addressed a lot of the "mistakes" of the Conservative government under Stephen Harper, but don't think that things have been terrible...of course, I also suspect the that having a minority government allows for a balance in values to be maintained more easily. Things could have been a lot "worse" if the Conservatives had held the majority.
Apparently...
"Canadians have declared Stephen Harper the winner of this week's leaders' debates, but few of those who watched the debates were convinced to change their vote, according to a new poll.
Among Canadians who watched at least one of the two debates, 37 per cent believe the prime minister won the debates on the whole, according to the Ipsos Reid poll, commissioned by Canwest News Service and Global National.
NDP Leader Jack Layton came in second, at 20 per cent, followed by Liberal Stephane Dion, at 17 per cent, Elizabeth May of the Greens, at 13 per cent, and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, at five per cent.
However, most Canadians weren't even watching.
Fifty-eight per cent of respondents didn't watch either the French-language debate on Wednesday or the English version the following night. Viewership of the French debate, in particular, appeared to have been low, with only 12 per cent of respondents overall, and only 27 per cent in Quebec, tuning in.
Preliminary ratings suggest about three million people, or less than a tenth of the Canadian population, watched the English debates on Thursday. By comparison, the U.S. vice-presidential debate on the same night between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin was watched by nearly 70 million people, nearly a quarter of that country's population.
As a result, the net impact of the debates appears to have been minimal. Once respondents who didn't watch the debates are factored in, only five per cent of Canadians changed their minds as a result of the debate.
Bricker said the results appear to confirm the view that debates have little impact on the campaign.
Overall support levels for the parties haven't changed much, the poll suggests. The Conservatives have slipped in the overall party standings but still have a healthy lead over the Liberals. The Conservatives are supported by 36 per cent of decided voters, followed by the Liberals, at 22 per cent, the NDP at 20 per cent and the Greens at 10 per cent, according to the poll."
-From http://election.globaltv.com/topstorydetail.aspx?sectionid=223&postid=49354
I wonder if they did a poll to see how many Canadians were watching the American debate instead. It wouldn't surprise me if they did do the poll and found out that double the amount watched the American debate. I'm not going to watch it. I've had my fill of politics for the day.
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/election-2008/english-debate/#clip98314
"Do you think Conservatives are barbarians?"
What kind of question is that?
---
Overall, I am pleased with Elizabeth May's presentation, but I don't think her answer to the 'What is the very first thing you're going to do when you get into office?' was wise. To me, the answers she gave (changing the electoral system and dealing with carbon emissions) are the issues considered the most important by the Green Party, but I don't think they are good choices as the FIRST thing that needs addressing, especially with what is going on economically right now in North America. (Of course, my own perception of the significance of the current economic conditions may be skewed, as my daily life is deep in the thick of it.) Although, since it is QUITE unlikely that she will be voted in as prime minister, I can understand why she may have taken the opportunity to focus on the party's core values.
Jack Layton impressed me more than I thought he would, and Stephane Dion impressed me less. I know a lot of people in B.C. are soured on the NDP, but they were no longer in power by the time I moved here, so I didn't get to see first hand the aspects that they didn't like. Based purely on their presentations in the debate, I think I would favour the NDP over the Liberals.
I think they certainly addressed a lot of the "mistakes" of the Conservative government under Stephen Harper, but don't think that things have been terrible...of course, I also suspect the that having a minority government allows for a balance in values to be maintained more easily. Things could have been a lot "worse" if the Conservatives had held the majority.
Apparently...
"Canadians have declared Stephen Harper the winner of this week's leaders' debates, but few of those who watched the debates were convinced to change their vote, according to a new poll.
Among Canadians who watched at least one of the two debates, 37 per cent believe the prime minister won the debates on the whole, according to the Ipsos Reid poll, commissioned by Canwest News Service and Global National.
NDP Leader Jack Layton came in second, at 20 per cent, followed by Liberal Stephane Dion, at 17 per cent, Elizabeth May of the Greens, at 13 per cent, and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, at five per cent.
However, most Canadians weren't even watching.
Fifty-eight per cent of respondents didn't watch either the French-language debate on Wednesday or the English version the following night. Viewership of the French debate, in particular, appeared to have been low, with only 12 per cent of respondents overall, and only 27 per cent in Quebec, tuning in.
Preliminary ratings suggest about three million people, or less than a tenth of the Canadian population, watched the English debates on Thursday. By comparison, the U.S. vice-presidential debate on the same night between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin was watched by nearly 70 million people, nearly a quarter of that country's population.
As a result, the net impact of the debates appears to have been minimal. Once respondents who didn't watch the debates are factored in, only five per cent of Canadians changed their minds as a result of the debate.
Bricker said the results appear to confirm the view that debates have little impact on the campaign.
Overall support levels for the parties haven't changed much, the poll suggests. The Conservatives have slipped in the overall party standings but still have a healthy lead over the Liberals. The Conservatives are supported by 36 per cent of decided voters, followed by the Liberals, at 22 per cent, the NDP at 20 per cent and the Greens at 10 per cent, according to the poll."
-From http://election.globaltv.com/topstorydetail.aspx?sectionid=223&postid=49354
I wonder if they did a poll to see how many Canadians were watching the American debate instead. It wouldn't surprise me if they did do the poll and found out that double the amount watched the American debate. I'm not going to watch it. I've had my fill of politics for the day.