Debate: After the First Commercial Break

Can't wait to see what daveberta and Ken Chapman have to say about the early-going... George Read is going to have a field-day with these questions on YouTube.

Trynacity's question is a timely one, based on recent headlines in Calgary. Once again, Taft is spending more time attacking the PC's than laying out his platform. He's seeming much more like a Leader of the Opposition than a Premier. Hinman's losing me on his "carrot-on-a-stick" approach to healthcare. Ed came off as well-preapred, at least in his initial remark on healthcare. Mason's all over healthcare, in a good way - it's the NDP bread-and-butter. They invented it, after all. :)

Taft sounds like he's singing out of Rick Bell's songbook. Again, more attacks than solutions. Mason is proposing solutions - that's an important difference between he and Taft. Hinman: "I agree with Mr. Mason" - that was at 6:49, Mountain Time. Mark it down - you may never hear it again. EVER. Hinman pandering to the south, where his strength lies - smart. Ed's spending a lot of time talking about what he's done, but none about what he WILL do. Taft is coming off as ascerbic.

Naidoo hits Mason where he lives... Mason makes a good point on generics. He's coming across as someone who is proposing concepts that the government can feel free to steal, for the good of all, instead of just saying "kick the bums out!". Ed's not explaining where we can make the system more efficient, which was the question. He makes good points, but they're off-topic. Hinman talks a lot about rewarding doctors - doesn't that sound a lot like "get 'em in, give 'em something for the pain, get 'em out? I'd rather a doc spend 9 hours fixing me than give me 2 tylenol because he's getting paid by the patient... Taft runs out of time for his ideas because he's so busy attacking. Kevin, wake up... you're sounding like an opposition politician, through-and-through.

Mason making a good case for Official Opposition status based on NDP ideas and results. Ed makes a decent point about attracting and retaining doctors and nurses. Hinman brought up competition in the heath system - oh, god, here we go...