10 THINGS FOR STEPHEN HARPER TO REMEMBER
1. Always portray yourself as the underdog. Polls are irrelevant. Until you are in, you are out. Even if you go up in the polls do not get too excited. You are David, Paul Martin is Goliath. Never forget it.2. Emphasize that you are middle class and Paul Martin is a billionaire. He cannot relate to the people and does not understand their concerns.
3. Talk about crime and safety. In the GTA it will matter. People are concerned.
4. Talk about tax cuts for the middle class. Emphasize a positive Canada that cares about the family and wants to strengthen it through proper education and valuing choice in daycare. My wife has already gotten two women to rethink their support for the Liberals by showing them how contemptuous Ken Dryden was about families wanting to raise children at home. This issue matters to women and it is not being properly explained to them.
5. Talk about a renewed role and respect for our military. Use the word 'respect' and how we need to be a force for good in the world.
6. Run a positive campaign but do not be afraid to have some negative ads. Tough ones that talk about crime, the decay of inner cities, lack of free speech and Adscam.
7. Talk about health care. Say that we need to put more money into it. Ask why the Liberals haven't fixed it in over a decade. Mention that Paul Martin's doctor has the biggest private practice in Quebec. Have an ad based on the Liberal hypocrisy of the 'Do as I say, not as I do' variety.
8. If you are called on the issue of same sex marriage and the media do not like the fact that you will have a democratic free vote, call up the issue of freedom of religion. Let the Liberals play this card first, however. Then unleash an ad of all of the people who have been silenced and hurt by this decision such as Chris Kempling, Bishop Fred Henry and now the Knights of Columbus. In the ad tell people that the freedom of religion guarantee was a lie. It would be very powerful indeed to portray the Liberals as anti-religion.
9. Use the word 'change' a lot. Every successful election campaign needs a catch phrase. This word is it.
10. Have a sense of humour. Crack jokes. Pull out the wife and kids. Go to a Leafs game. Be seen with a pint of beer in a pub in the GTA. Be human and real. We know you are a good guy...let others see it too.
Good Luck.
posted by Nicol DuMoulin @ 2:18 PM
8 Comments:
All excellent suggestions.
Jesse,
Thnaks for the comment.
Bigelephant,
This was not a mistake at all. Harper knows that the Liberals and the media will make this an issue later in the campaign. They are just waiting to play the 'hidden agenda card' at the right moment, probably after Christmas when things are expected to get real nasty. If Harper does not mention same sex marriage they will say he is hiding something. By mentioning it now he gets it out of the way and no one can truthfully say his views are hidden. I also think a lot of people are very upset at how this was passed in parliament without a free vote. Anyone who would choose to not vote for Harper over this probably would not have voted for him anyway.
Hang on...the nastiness has only just begun.
Thanks for the comments.
Martin is such a hypocrite for saying Harper is anti-Charter when several of his own MPs like Paul Szabo have stated they want the SSM issue re-addressed. Szabo is the probably the only MP that still has petitions out there against SSM. Don't expect Julie Van Dusen or Keith Boag to tell you that though.
Indeed I'd like it for Harper and/or Layton to get more personal. Remind voters that Martin is a billionaire, goes to a private medical clinic, and lets not forget CSL dumping ore pellets into the Great Lakes and all its tax havens. I've heard Duceppe saying it but he can get away with it because luckily for Quebecers, the French media isn't so Liberal-centric. Contrary to the English media. Harper would get dragged over the coals if he criticized Martin personally.
55 days is a long time for the Tories. The media will watch every last step, every breath, every eye-blink, searching and hoping for them to stumble. I wish them luck, there's no hope for the country otherwise.
Nicol:
Good Post. Good common sense. You should run for Parliament. Oh, you don't want that abuse...
John from www.johnsblog.jfmooreart.com
If he goes to a Leafs game, no one will believe he's middle class -- other than that, so far, so good.
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