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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Ups and Downs, Week Six
The Conservatives -- 8/10
This was not at all a bad week for the Tories, but it wasn't their best either. Coming off the holiday break the policy announcements continued, with Stephen Harper vowing to crack down on crime, speed up recognition of foreign credentials for immigrants and introduce tax deductions for donating securities to charity. Harper was looking upbeat again on the campaign trail, even cracking a smile during speeches and interviews. This morning, he did what appeared to be a live interview in French on Radio-Canada's Les Coulisses du Pouvoir, and he did very well. His message to Québec is bang on, and polls show it is gaining traction. The Tories have the Big Mo -- without question -- and that counts for a lot in elections, as we all know.
Why points were removed: The one negative this week was Harper being put on the defensive about tax cuts (see below) because the Tories would reverse the Liberals' tax cuts, announced on the eve of the confidence vote. Taxes would still be lower under the Tories than the Liberals, but optically, a "tax hike" for low income earners is horrible. I'm not sure I liked the way Harper handled this -- basically saying "we have our own tax cut plan, and we will implement our own tax cut plan." Also, the Tories have not put out any really striking ads yet, they could be doing better on this score.
The Liberals -- 6/10
I cannot remember a Liberal campaign being this badly run in my life, going back to 1988 when I first started following these things. The wheels are starting to fall off, and reporting about the sentiment in the Grit backrooms seems to confirm it. I don't know what explains it, normally these guys know what they are doing. And I can't image they'd be dumb enough to actually plan for a poor Tory campaign. There is just an aura of panic all around; you can see it in the faces of Susan Murray, John Duffy and even the Prime Minister. It is desperation. But, things can change -- so don't write them off yet.
Why points were removed: Obviously, the emergence of two RCMP investigations ruins the campaign messaging no matter which party is. The Option Canada story will probably continue to make headlines for the two or three days, and the spectre of the Goodale investigation will remain for the rest of the election. Martin has tried to divert attention, with virtually no success.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:51 AM
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