This interesting story caught my eye in today's Globe:
One MP said that Mr. Rae's comments suggested that he and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion will build an election platform that will emulate that of former Ontario Tory premier Mike Harris, who came up with a so-called Common Sense Revolution.
It also echoes the tactics of Mr. Harper, who focused on his "five priorities" and repeated key themes like a mantra throughout the election campaign that brought him to office a year ago.
To come up with ideas and encourage caucus participation, Mr. Rae had MPs and senators break up into small groups of about five that were asked to develop themes, in bite-size phrases, for the platform.
One MP said that marrying the economy with environmental action was a dominant theme -- "some form of 'It's the environmental economy, stupid.' " Some came up with slogans such as, "The environment is wealth" or "The environment is health," MPs said.
But there were other slogans -- from "Hope and opportunity" to "Leading edge" -- designed to portray the party as more innovative and progressive than the Conservatives.
Those who've read our book will probably recognize this theme (see p. 197): be positive, run on clear, crisp themes, offer hope, etc...
Bob Rae may have been a crummy Premier and he may be devoid of any ideological compass, but one thing's almost certain: the Liberals will be ready and armed with a decent platform next election.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:32 PM
