Winner: Conservative leader Stephen Harper. In campaign stops in Atlantic Canada on Friday and Saturday, the parliamentary press gallery [PPG] were relentless and continually grilled Mr. Harper about all the negatives that went on in the first week (puffins, Danny Williams, Ryan Sparrow, etc.). Despite all this, Mr. Harper was still able to remain focused, relatively poised and positive. I especially liked this response (regarding Williams' ABC tirade) from the conservative leader, "You are -- as the slogan says -- proud, strong, determined, [....] I can't tell you how to vote. No one can tell a Newfoundlander or a Labradorian how to vote. Your vote is not about personality fights. Your vote is about your own best interests."
Loser: Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe. Much has been made this week of Mr. Dion's slow start to the 2008 campaign. However, it pales in comparison to the horrible week Mr. Duceppe has had on the trail thus far. For someone who has been involved in four previous national campaigns, he sure did look uncertain, not to mention, very rookie like. Even some old Quebec supporters don't see him (or his cause in Ottawa) as useful anymore.
Policy losers: Maritime Liberals. [They] just can't seem to make up their mind on whether or not to unequivocally support their leaders Green Shift plan (as it is currently written). Let me tell you, watering down the carbon tax plan with personal exemption proposals and blatant misrepresentations makes these two federal Liberals appear to the common voter as not only indecisive, but very untrustworthy. I think it's time that Dion cleared the air here.
Losers: Pundits and pollsters who put entirely way too much weight in early (first week) poll numbers. As Paul Wells cleverly put it this week (about the over saturation of polls), "What’s it been, three hours since the last poll? Time for three more polls." Well said Wells.
Anyway, I'm not going to lie, I realize a lot of people (including myself) like to gaze at the numbers so as to find some sort of trend line. So for anybody that's interested in these kinds of things, The Toronto Star has a great poll tracker out. H/T Chantal Hébert.
Previous Quick Hitters: Day 6, Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2
I have reincarnated this old blog and will be following both the national as well as the local developments in the New Brunswick region leading up to the 2011 federal election.
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2 comments:
And now we have reports out of the CO wore that Williams supporters have been intimidating people not to support local candidates. And Williams calls Harper a dictator.
Doesn't surprise me. He really has a hate on for Harper.
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