Canada's Choice 2015: Harper believes flouting democracy deserves Canadians' support

There was a time when journalists and political commentators at least pretended to eschew so-called horse race coverage.

Politics is more than a sporting event, they would say. You watch a horse race, your horse loses and life goes on (unless you had placed a big bet on that steed).

Politics, on the other hand, has real consequences for you, your family, your community.

It is not just a game. 

Or, at least, commentators and pundits used to claim to believe that.

Today, that pretence has pretty much disappeared, if you were to judge by the recent slew of election year prognostications in Canada's media.

All the chatter has been about tactics, strategy, image, positioning and -- of course -- what the polls tell us.