$1:
Who gives a damn what our politicians hobbies and favorite passtimes are??
Well, nobody used to. Harper made it an issue with his attacks on Dion though. The subtext of Harper's claims to being a "family man" is that none of the other leaders are. They all have kids, they are all all family people, they all come from the upper echelons of the upper class, they all went to university, they all enjoy one outdoor sport or another. None of it should matter to the election.
$1:
How about debating issues?
Harper has slated this as an issue-free campaign. He doesn't want to talk about the environment, he doesn't want to talk about the economy, and he sure as hell doesn't want to talk about health care. he thought he could make it dirty and personal, just like he's done with parliament, but we're three days in and it's not working out for him. He's been on the defense since noon Sunday.