Election Game Notes

The game has begun and already we're being assaulted with polls. According to the first poll, the new Parliament will be virtually the same as the one yesterday. So why bother to vote? Oh well, the campaign may actually make a difference, or the weather may skew the results to the choices of the hardiest Canadians, or there is the small point that the Liberals lost 5 points over the course of the last campaign and if that happens again, the Conservatives may have a minority. And then there's the fear factor. Apparently it's taken only 12 years, but Canadians may no longer be so gullible on that score. So yeah, maybe the polls are completely wrong, and we should vote.

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Canadian blogs are now coming alive with the sound of opining, and I shall join the chorus.

I thought I'd begin with Leader Notes, sort of like those Game Notes on CFL broadcasts that I can never follow.

Paul Martin:

Hmmm...this is a tough one. He needs to use the dirty ad campaign that was so successful last time, which Canadians like to think they don't like but obviously lap up. Instead of just saying the Conservatives are scary, he needs to say how can a party govern that has no ideas. Canadians will nod knowingly and vote Liberal.

Stephen Harper:

He needs to do a Mike Harris. He said Canadians want to hear about positive ideas. Well, let's hear them! He needs to say over and over and over what he will do as Prime Minister that will get this country going and growing again, and he needs to tone down the rhetoric on Liberal corruption because if the media have a choice between reporting on Conservative ideas or Conservative screaming about corruption, they'll choose the latter every time.

Jack Layton:

He needs to ensure Canadians know that the Liberals only moved in this past Parliament because of the NDP, and he needs to convince NDPers that a vote for their party is not a wasted vote but an effective vote. And he needs to talk about what the NDP would do if in power, because in a minority government they can still hold the balance of power and therefore effectively call the shots.

Leader of Green Party:

That says it all. I can't remember his name. He needs to make his name known and memorable, and he needs to make his party platform known. He ought to copy Layton's media tactics. His party does have a decent website though.

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