punditry.ca — uncovering DSU elections

Here is video of yesterday’s presidential debate, not quite in its entirety, but close enough to give you a taste of the action.

Many thanks to my girlfriend Shannon (put down your gossip diary Snow, I’m not taking about the prez) for recording most of the footage.

It might not seem like I did much with the video this time around, but I assure you, this took over six straight hours of work to get online.

I know only a handful of people will watch, but it’s a matter of principle, right? Right?! (Crazed look in bloodshot eyes.)

There are several missing questions from the audience that took place between where the second last video cuts off, and the last one picks up. I do have the majority of these on film, since we figured the battery on our main camera would probably run out before these windbags finished talking, but I do not presently have the second camera with me, so you’ll have to wait on that if you are really keen.

The section between question six and the anti-elitism rant (basically the last 17 minutes of the first tape) is currently missing as well, mainly because the public Mac I uploaded that tape onto crashed not once, but twice, and I will commit suicide if I have to upload the footage again today.

There have already been two posts on the debate so far, so I’ll refrain from subjecting you to my full opinion just yet. I’ll just say that Greg’s performance seemed to be the big topic of discussion afterwards. I talked with a few people who felt like he definitely had the best stage presence, and others who thought he was a disgrace. Seems the audience either loved or hated him, but given that the ones who hated him seemed to be the ones who would never vote for him in a million years anyway, he may be onto a good strategy. I think his advantage with a certain portion of the audience came from his contrast with the other two candidates. Whatever the question, Saulnier usually comes off as a little like Tracy Flick from Election, and Bailey tends to answer in a way that seems somewhat passive and drippingly sweet. Their styles leave an opening for Greg, who, if not exactly eloquent, always seems passionate, active, and utterly sincere.

Enough of my thoughts for now. Here are the videos I managed to get online. Same rules regarding them looking like garbage unless you give them time to properly process still apply.

Part 1 — Opening Statements

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11 — Closing Statements

Hopefully these will feed many more comment wars.

All best, and keep an eye out for more actual commentary from me in the next few days now that the filming is done with!