#elxn42 Campaign Closer: NDP
I’ve previously pointed out that others were far too quick to write off the NDP in Canada’s federal election. But it’s safe to say by now that it will be…
messaging
Lessons not learned
Yes, plenty of people are pointing out Stephen Harper’s decision to be less prime ministerial, more game show host as the election campaign comes to an end. But we should…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Edward Keenan writes that a lack of affordable child care is the crucial financial pressure facing families across the income spectrum. And…
On conversation pieces
Following up on this post, the stretch run of the election campaign (particularly a holiday weekend with advance polling already underway) is exactly the time when our messages in talking…
On campaign reflections
There’s been a flurry of discussion elsewhere about the NDP’s campaign over the past couple of weeks, and I’ll chime in quickly with my own take on how the campaign…
The Political Prisoner’s Dilemma
Let’s double back to Karl Nerenberg’s take on the opposition parties’ messages in Canada’s federal election and point out how it relates to a classic decision-making hypothetical, the prisoner’s dilemma.…
Lies and the lying liars who tell them
Ideally, this would be the end of the story when it comes to Stephen Harper’s callous and desperate attempt to claim the Terry Fox Foundation’s reputation for his own. But…
Trampling the message
So apparently the Harper Cons are panicking mid-campaign and throwing out years of preparation to bring in an Australian consultant to better pitch their messages of the importance of familiarity…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Louise Arbour’s interview with The House includes both her compelling criticisms of both the Cons’ terror bill, and the Libs’ failure to…
On judicious outrage
Following up on this post, let’s take a look at the flip side of the possibility that political parties can help themselves out significantly by taking umbrage with competitors’ treatment…
Attack and response
Earlier this week, Andrew Coyne mused on Twitter about how parties seek to make hay out of attacks by their opponents, with particular emphasis on the Libs’ response to PC…
Juxtaposition II: Humanitarian Boogaloo
From one stunt… The news of McCain’s suspension drew gales of derision from the press. No one was willing to give him the slightest benefit of the doubt…that his motivations…
On reasonable responses
Let’s offer a quick reminder to the Libs’ spin machine, and particularly to the people who should know better who are choosing to echo it. No party is under an…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Robert Reich discusses the unfairness of requiring workers to take all the risk of precarious jobs while sharing few of the rewards: On…
On weak attempts
Following up on these earlier posts, here’s a quick look at the last of the messages Bob Hepburn thinks the NDP may face from the Cons in particular as the…
On messaging tests
Following up on yesterday’s post, I’ll make clear that nobody should hold any illusions that the NDP’s opponents will abandon their own efforts to pursue seats simply because the NDP…
New column day
Here, summarizing these posts on the dangers of setting up past advocacy as a barrier to a place in public life. For further reading…– Again, Sean Fine’s report on the…
Asked and answered
The problem with basing a party’s rhetoric on theories which can be directly and obviously disproven by events beyond their control is that events happen. With that in mind, over…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Vanessa Houlder reports on the OECD’s call for countries to make far more of an effort to ensure tax compliance among their…
On unforeseen consequences
In retrospect, we should have figured that when the Cons made submission to enhanced interrogation a requirement for entry into their campaign events, they were setting themselves up for this…