What is this silly business of Conservatives thinking that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau cannot handle a debate with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper? Surprise, surprise, the truth is that Trudeau would not have to come out ahead in points to win the election. Debating skills are not the issue.
The laughable part of this entire discussion is that the Conservatives are trying to tie the Liberals down to a proposed five regional debates across the country. Since at least highlights of the debates would be heard across the country, the point of trying to deal with regional issues becomes somewhat mute.
And winning is just a perception. Anyone who has watched either of the two leaders (or three for that matter) already knows how they will be perceived. Stephen Harper does not want to answer questions he does not like. And if you force him, he will not be friendly in his answer. The perception will be of a stuffy, pigheaded guy who has been in the Prime Minister’s bully pulpit for too long. He can only harm himself.
Trudeau, on the other hand, can be guileless, naïve and immature and the voters will fall in love with him. And he does not even have to know what he is talking about. The voters are just as vague as he is on the issues.
The more Harper or Mulcair attack Trudeau, the more voters they will be driving into Liberal arms. The only way they could do any harm to Trudeau is to ignore him. And just how are they going to do that? Exposing his lack of knowledge of the issues might work depending on how much inside information you have on his briefings.
And New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair is going to come across as a fussy little man, too involved in the minutia of politics to care about people. He is the direct opposite of the late Jack Layton. The more that is pointed out in the coming election, the fewer seats the New Democrats are going to win.
We will always remember the English-language debate in 2008 with the crashing of the world economy as the 600 pound gorilla at that debating table. We watched that debate in horror as Elizabeth May was the only person in the room who seemed to know what was going on in the real world. It was Harper’s ability to ignore her that won the election for him. He cannot do that to Justin Trudeau.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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