That's Why They Call It......

KudosToCarole
BubbleBoyExposedVille

.....A Freakin' Debate!

I did something last night that I rarely do and should probably do even less.

I listened to the talk shows.

And, in addition to the total lack of substance in most of the discussion due to the laser-like focus on the 'who won/who lost' angle, the bizarre thing was how 'scripted' most of the 'typical' callers were.

But even if Ms. James really was 'pushy, forceful and overbearing' as the Liberal shills constantly opined - so what?

After all, it was a debate, not a TV-assisted Tea at the Empress.

And in debates the main goal is to expose your opponent's weaknesses and then attack them.

Because that's how you win.

And that's what Ms. James did to Mr. Campbell.

Here are a few of my favorite specific examples:

1) Mr. Campbell being suckered into stating that he is proud of his creature, the Ministry of Air, Land and Water Protection which is responsible for such magnificent acts of Protection as the building of huge revenue generating pay parking lots in Cathedral Grove.

2) Mr. Campbell being forced to defend the indefensible continued expansion of Open Pen fish farms by stating that the NDP brought in the Fish Farms when it was the Socreds.

3) Mr. Campbell stating that the Fisheries Protection Regime he has intalled is one of the most 'scientifically rigourous' in the world.

4) Mr. Campbell stating that the sale of BC Rail is not a sale - numerous times.

5) Mr. Campbell being forced to state that you have to make tough choices when you destroy peoples' lives by moving them from Golden to Abbotsford. Or was it that he was proud of destroying peoples' lives in Golden so that he could build a private hospital in Abbotsford to replace the one he destroyed in Delta - not sure what he was saying in all this pretzel logic self-bamboozlement, actually.

6) Mr. Campbell stating that he had done great things....things like completing 90% of the New Era Document promises which is truly bizarre given that he was forced to pull that same New Era Document from government websites when it became plain for all to see that so many significant promises of substance have not been kept.

7) Mr. Campbell having absolutely no answer about why homelessness and the need for foodbanks have exploded during his reign except to say that the working poor no longer pay provincial Income Tax, which would be fine and dandy if this were just a shell game with peanuts, but as Ms. James made very clear...user fees, medicare fees, transportation fees, school supply fees, recreation fees, liscencing fees, pharmacare fees, physiotherapy fees, optician fees etc., etc. have all jumped to such a huge extent that they dwarf any and all of the so-called tax savings considerably.

8) Mr. Campbell being unable to articulate a single believable rationale to convince the electorate that he would not break ideologically incompatible promises of substance this time around as he did in 2001.

9) And my alltime favorite....Mr. Campbell stating that the best way to rectify the health care crisis is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Which had me wondering - did the Green Grocer Lobby make out like bandits in a manner similar to that trumpeted by the Prince George Airport Authority Guy during DonateGate?


Hang on a second.....what's that hissing sound I hear?

Could it be the rush of fetid, TV light-warmed, MaxFactor pancake make up-laden air escaping from the not-so Golden Boy's punctured bubble?

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