August1991 Posted May 31, 2004 Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 Is this a good strategy? Duceppe has a temper and a loose tongue. So, he is absolutely scripted and is given few if any occasions to speak off the cuff. He doesn't do street walk abouts. With Harper, it's the same apparently. This is the best strategy when the polls are good. That was Trudeau's strategy in 1980 and arguably Clinton's strategy in 1996. In the case of Duceppe, he would be his own worst enemy. All he has to do is keep quiet for another four weeks and the BQ will get 50+ seats. For Harper, however, I think he's going to have to open up. He's going to have to level and explain what, in his mind, Canada is. He may be lucky and avoid having to do this. But of the great Canadian PMs, only King managed to avoid getting pinned down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Posted May 31, 2004 Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 Apparently it's coming this week from Harper. He's spending most of it in Ontario, where he will release the party platform and campaign heavily on the issue of integrity in government. He used the first week to allay any fear anyone might have regarding his agenda. But I think Harper can get far by doing as little as possible, actually. All the indicators point to a continued drop in the polls for the Liberals. If Haprer plays it safe, without running away from the electorate, he'll be in a very good positon come election night. He's a very good debater, which will come in handy given that the debate is probably the single most important part of the election. And I think he knows what he's doing. He doesn't fall on his own sword, and he can dish it out when he has to. He did it during the leadership runs. He also did it a few times this week, when he defended himself against Martin's America scare tactics, as well as some of Martin's glaring inconsistencies in attacking others. I think Harper will be fine. He'll do enough to silence people who say he's not coming out with any ideas of his own. Heck, he IS an ideas man. Has been throughout his career. Again, I think he'll be fine. Martin's self-destruction shouldn't be tampered with too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted May 31, 2004 Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 Don't expect the goods from Harper until week 3. The first two weeks are just repetition on what is wrong with the current state. They have a full policy book and it will be fully released before we vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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