WAITING FOR RESULTS

The first ballot results should be known by 11:30 PM EST, that's 10:30 CST and 8:30 Pacific. (So they said.)

I gotta say that CTV and CPAC have done a great job covering this convention. CPAC has been right on top of all the deals and rumors going on; their coverage has definitely been the most extensive. It was them that made a big deal about Dryden and Dion not getting their speeches done on time. And CTV Newsnet has done a great job covering the convention and keeping on top of all the stuff happening, especially the Joe Volpe move to Rae. The people covering this thing clearly know their politics.

Their reporters and guests are much better than the glum folks over at the CBC, who kept harping on people's performances and who didn't seem to keep on top of all the big news going on. What the heck has gotten into those folks? What a below-average performance from people who ought to be cleaning up the joint on a story like this.

Boo to CBC who bailed out of their live coverage just as Volpe was going over to give Rae the handshake. Talk about a bad show on their part. I'll bet you they will bail out if this convention runs into their hockey coverage. And where the heck is Global News?! Showing Entertainment Tonight, that's what they were doing this evening!! What a poor show by both these television networks. Global didn't even bother to show up tonight, they just mailed it in with their newscast and that was it. I guess they will show coverage on Saturday. Maybe they will break in with the first ballot result tonight. But all I will say is that was bad.

Anyway, found a blog from CTV about the convention. And the www.Liblogs.ca site has lots of chatter from Liberals about who they think performed the best.

Lots of people had plenty of good things to say about Ken Dryden's speech which, despite the abrupt ending, was a really sound performance. To describe the speeches, Ignatieff was slick and loaded with fancy video, Bob Rae was off the cuff, Gerard Kennedy was fiery and flamboyant, and Stephane Dion was Stephane Dion, as you would expect. And Scott Brison talked throughout his speech about the environment- you would think he might endorse Dion later, another greenie.

UPDATE: Some great convention video and interviews over at Blogging Tories. Check it out at http://www.bloggingtories.ca/bttv/ .

ANOTHER UPDATE: Read on Cerberus' blog that while Volpe went to Rae a lot of his campaign team went to Ignatieff.

Shades of what went on at the Ontario PC convention in 2002. Tony Clement quit the race and endorsed Ernie Eves, but much of his campaign team went and endorsed Jim Flaherty instead. The only difference there was that many of Tony's supporters all over the province at these voting locations simply got up and went home, they didn't go to anyone. Anyway, my two cents.