Finally! The campaign begins. It feels like we’ve talking about since – I don’t know – the first episode, but the official campaign period for the 42nd General Election is officially underway, and Open Sources Guelph has you covered. We’ll cover #elxn42 so far in the first half of the show, the second half we’ll tackle that other debate Thursday night, and salute a fake news legend who became a paragon for actual news in his own time.
This Thursday, August 6, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) They’re Off! As predicted (or leaked), Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the Governor-General Sunday and asked him to dissolve Parliament, and, as consequence, officially kicked off a nearly three-month long campaign. Despite the dog days of August, there’s been a lot of action on the campaign trail. Harper proposed a new tax credit (if the government can afford it mid-mandate); Tom Mulcair was going to take the week off to prepare for a debate (until the news cycle proceeded without him); and Justin Trudeau, like the proverbial hare, stuck to his own race (but finally swung back hard against his critics). With five days down, what do we think of the race so far?
2) Debate Prep Part 1. On Thursday night, Stephen Harper, Tom Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Elizabeth May will face-off in the first debate of the election season. Hosted by Rogers/Macleans, and moderated by Macleans columnist Paul Wells, this debate will not only be the first real test for party leaders in #elxn42, but it will also test the “Aussie rules” debate season prompted by Harper’s (and then Mulcair’s) refusal to participate in the traditional debates held by the consortium of broadcasters including CBC, CTV and Global. Will this first debate change the game in more ways than one?
3) Debate Prep Part 2. Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie and John Kasich are the winners, and by winners we mean the 10 Republicans who will get to participate in the prime time Fox News debate Thursday night. Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki, and Jim Gilmore will be debating in a separate debate Thursday afternoon, a division that has been met with sharp controversy from both the candidates and average GOP members. Despite that, the real question is if this first debate will shake up the race, and whether Trump, when challenged directly by his competitors, will be able to stand up to scrutiny.
4) Jon Voyage! After 17 years, over 2,000 episodes, and a lot of burns at the expense of cable news, Jon Stewart signs off from his tenure on The Daily Show Thursday night, leaving a gaping hole in the media landscape that may or may not be filled. During his years on Comedy Central (and The Comedy Network here in Canada), Stewart transcended from being the leading name in fake news to being America’s most trusted anchor. An ombudsmen for the people, as they were being inundated with double-speak from TV talking heads to politicians of the highest authority. Can anyone possible replace Stewart in the hearts and minds of politicos?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Open Sources Guelph 