(Updated – thanks to a reader, changed the headline from ‘Wednesday’ to ‘Tuesday’… the short week has me all screwed up!)
A few quick points – and a poll! – before I rush into the office to put together the E-B’s Pre-Election Edition, filled with all kinds of candidate goodness for the Easter weekend (bonus: no calories!).
At last night’s post-debate edition of the Hot Stove at the Huron Club, the general consensus was the winners were Helena Guergis and Jace Metherall. After that, a toss-up between Dr. Peter and Dr. Kellie, followed by Gordon Cochrane. Then Alex Smardenka and Katy Austin.
First up, Helena. On Friday, it was the Tearful, Oh-Woe-Is-Me Helena, the one who causes us media types to callously roll our eyes. Tuesday, it was Campaigner Helena who showed up. And not the typical Campaigner Helena; where in previous years’ all-candidate events she’s shown nasty flashes of arrogance, there was none of that. She was poised. She was well-spoken. And, quite frankly, she absolutely blew me away with at least two of her answers to the media queries: on Mariane’s maternal health question, and my character question, Helena absolutely hit it out of the park both times. To a person at the Huron Club, Helena Guergis won last night, hands-down.
Next, Jace Metherall. What a fantastic, well-spoken young man. A little too earnest at the end, perhaps. But again, a great job answering the character question.
Dr. Peter Vander Zaag, as always, proved that if he wasn’t representing a party of the fringe (and I don’t mean that in a negative way), he would seriously challenge to be the Member of Parliament for Simcoe-Grey. He always provides us with thoughtful answers… and I think abortion only got mentioned once last night.
It was a so-so performance from Dr. Kellie Leitch. She got jeered on raising the ‘coalition’ bogeyman, and quite frankly, if I’d been allowed, I’d be jeering, too. Also, both Mariane and I noted her opening speech was the abridged version of her speech for Conservative’s candidate nomination meeting.
Gordon Cochrane is another well-spoken guy from a party of the fringe. We debated whether he may have done a better job than Kellie…
Alex Smardenka and Katy Austin… well, let’s just say I was disappointed in Katy. She completely booted my character question, and turned it into an answer railing against corporate tax cuts. And Alex – really, pulling the Doctor Parachute card? Whoever told you to do that should be hoofed in a sensitive spot this morning, because it didn’t win you points – and would have turned off even Liberals.
Anyhoo, without further ado, the EEU’s next Meaningless Poll™:
Meaningless Simcoe-Grey election poll: What week are we in?
(polls)
