Jason Kenney thinks the nastiness we all saw at the recent unofficial Conservative leadership debate was due to first night jitters. I doubt it very much.
Over the years, I was involved in countless debate preparations and practices. Debate prep for any candidate be it during an election or for a leadership debate is never unscripted. If they plan on winging it, then that candidate is in trouble.
Every line spoken by the two main contenders (Poilievre and Charest) and I suspect the others as well, was researched, analyzed for impact and TV sound bite/clip. Every attack line was signed off by the research team, the communication team, the campaign manager and finally the candidate.
These attack lines were put together as scripts and practiced possibly with people standing in as other candidates, so they could get used to the push backs, fix their own body language etc.
Patrick Brown was criticized for not attending, but after watching what he missed it was probably a smart move to stay away. No one covered themselves in glory that night.
Conservatives constantly focus on the now, the quick hit and often forget that it is not just party members watching these events, but the voting public too.
I will say Scott Aitchison got it right, they all have to work together after the contest is over. Can you see that happening after what you saw in the debate? I didn’t and I am sure voters didn’t either. That does not bode well for whoever wins.