An excerpt from Publius’ excellent assessment:
…Both Lord Iggy and Jack! attacked Stephen Harper for not doing enough to promote family reunification. Jack! was at his sentimental worst – all socialists are sentimentalists, anyone with an ounce objectivity would not be a socialist – on the topic, recalling how wonderful it was to have Olivia Chow’s mother living with them. First of all let me express my admiration for Mr Layton. For a man to speak so well of his mother-in-law suggests either extraordinary stoicism or exceptional mendacity. You may take your pick. The keenness on family reunification is less admirable.
Encouraging the mass immigration of people who have never paid a cent into our welfare state, especially the elderly, is a recipe for financial disaster. Unless there are appropriate financial controls on family reunification, such as a requirement that such immigrants purchase or have provided by their sponsor privately financed health care, such a policy is writing a blank cheque on the backs of Canadian workers. We can scarcely afford to pay for the health care of our own elderly, who have spent a lifetime paying into the system, we cannot afford to pay for the health care of the whole Third World as well. This rather obvious – and very politically incorrect – aspect of the immigration debate was not raised.
Canadian voters, however, are not interested in policy. It’s complicated and boring…
And, shock! horror!, the Dutiful Dawg ain’t arf bad neither (don’t shoot me!):
…
Stephen Harper, though, came a close second. He was unflappable. In fact he looked slightly tranked, but he is a man of powerful self-discipline. The softening effect of the glasses certainly played to his advantage as well: those cold blue eyes of his are not an asset. While he might have seemed condescending to many as he delivered his talking-points to the other party leaders, others would see a man of considerable gravitas, his calm making a striking contrast with the overly-histrionic performances of Duceppe and Ignatieff.
Indeed, what struck me most about Ignatieff was his delivery. It’s not that he lacked coherence—he didn’t. He knew his stuff, and how to string it together. But he was just trying too hard. His handlers obviously told him to show emotion, and for a man who usually doesn’t show very much of that, it seemed to be a bit of a chore. The contrast between his loud faux-passionate voice and Harper’s calm, level tones was excruciating to hear…