The New Democratic Way

It's been nearly three months since the election, and 3 months since I've posted. I can see I haven't missed much. However, there is an issue on which I'd like to write, from Saskatchewan, which happens to be having an election this November. Apparently the NDP released an attack ad in which they spliced two quotes of Premier Brad Wall (Saskatchewan Party) together. These two quotes were from a news scrum, spoken about 10 minutes apart. The new single quote was then taken completely out of context. Whatever bewitched them into thinking they wouldn't get caught I have no idea.

Before I begin, let me say that context never matters in politics. Nobody can sue anybody because normally the quote is exact and there were only differences in interpretation. If misinterpretation is done well enough, it might even force the misinterpreted to apologize. Of course, if it was common folk like us who misinterpreted comments so often, we'd be diagnosed as schizophrenic within a year (2 weeks if at non-Canadian medical institution).

Misinterpreting is one thing, but misquoting is quite another. The NDP could have kept the lid on this had they just admitted it was wrong and offered an apology. I realize, though, that expecting a political party to actually admit something is like watching paint dry. Your eyes dry first. Nevertheless, a normal political party will recognize damage when it comes and try to stop it. It is with this sharp departure from normalcy that I introduce to you...The New Democratic Way.

Deciding to take the high road instead, they called the Saskatchewan Party response "childish" and "over the top." Perhaps these words would have been more fitting had they been said to a mirror. The response from the government, while perhaps slightly dramatized, is in no way out of the ordinary. What is out of the ordinary, however, is the decision to remain defiant. They also defended the advertisement, saying it conveyed their message. By now, however, the only message the advertisement conveyed was that they were dishonest and desperate. If that's the message they wanted conveyed, perhaps NDP strategists were born on Mars. I really don't know.

As the controversy brew, they finally decided to pull the advertisement. Begrudging apologies were then offered - from all the wrong people. Party deputies released statements to the effect that they didn't know what the advertisement firm was doing. The party ordered the ads in the first place so obviously voters are expected to believe that they had nothing to do with this. Also, while party officials offered up peace offerings, the leader has been almost invisible. To this day I do not know Mr. Lingenfelter's first name. If you're running for premier and people don't know your name, you're either the leader of the Communist Party or in very big trouble (like trailing by 30%).

So, to sum it all up:
1) Initiate incredible stupidity;
2) Respond with incredible stpuidity;
3) Behave with incredible stupidity;
4) Run and hide.

And that is...The New Democratic Way.

Resignation season continues

Carole James resigned as leader today, as the BC NDP saga continues. Last week, prominent NDP MLA Jenny Kwan lashed out at James publicly, becoming the voice of the so-called "Baker's Dozen" who opposed James' leadership. Knowing that firing Kwan meant firing all 13 of them, James called an emergency caucus meeting for Sunday. Sunday came around, and the meeting got postponed for "private discussions." Turns out that meant James was writing her resignation speech.

Such a display of public in-fighting is rare in a system where the party is supreme and discipline is strictly enforced. Disunity goes down very badly with the public, and the Liberals are clearly trying to take advantage, saying that if the NDP can't even oppose properly, they can't govern either. As SFU political scientist Kennedy Stewart put it, "The Liberals were essentially in self-destruct mode, and the NDP out-self-destructed the Liberals."

The resignation of James might not be a bad thing for the NDP, in the long run, but for the near future the damage is obvious. James was never popular though, and if the NDP manages to elect a centrist, practical, charismatic leader, they will certainly recover. However, the NDP's problem is accentuated in that none seem to be in the cards.

The Liberal leadership race, however, is starting to see some credible hopefuls line up, to the likes of Abbott, Falcon, and now maybe even Christy Clark. It's no wonder that talent is showing up on the Liberal front. Add the NDP's internal warfare to a recent Mustel Group poll which placed the Liberals just 5 points behind the NDP, and suddenly the Liberal leadership looks much more appealing.