Rex Murphy's take on campaigning.

[Ricki Bobbi]

From Rex's column today.

But if you were to drop back a decade or two, you would learn it was a rule of campaigning during elections never to go door to door between 2 and 5 in the afternoon.

If a glance through the living room window showed the blue glow of a television screen during those holy hours, indicating the household was in communion with the tormented plots of All My Children, General Hospital, or the aforesaid and inextinguishable Days of our Lives, the wise candidate, the smart candidate, bowed his head and walked on. Never knock during the soaps. Rule No. 1.

Has Rex ever gone campaigning?

I think this explains his popularity on the CBC. His pronouncements seem reasonable and plays to the stereotypes of Canadians but have zero basis in reality.

I've been doorknocking many, many, many times -going back a decade or so- and never ever was told not to go between 2 and 5.

[Electric Monk]

From Wikipedia "Murphy has run for office in three Newfoundland provincial elections, in 1975 as a Tory, and in 1985 and 1987 as a Liberal. He lost all three times. He also worked in the 1980s as executive assistant to Clyde Wells."

Obviously his experience has been dissimilar to yours.

[geoffrey]

From Wikipedia "Murphy has run for office in three Newfoundland provincial elections, in 1975 as a Tory, and in 1985 and 1987 as a Liberal. He lost all three times. He also worked in the 1980s as executive assistant to Clyde Wells."

Obviously his experience has been dissimilar to yours.

Maybe he lost because someone told him this rule?

[Electric Monk]

It's possible, but improbable.

[Ricki Bobbi]

Maybe he lost because someone told him this rule?

Like door-knocking in the 2-5 blackout period with a candidate who won?

[Electric Monk]

I just performed a little experiment. If you will note, I could have truncated the quote from wikipedia after "and 1987 as a Liberal." That would have been sufficient to inform you about Murphy's political history, and rebut your half-baked theory.

I decided to include the next two sentences, just to see what would happen. Predictably, instead of taking the reasonable path and admitting Rex is probably not lying about his experiences, you have taken your pet "theory" a step further, assuming that his losses were due to the "rule".

In that light I find these statements highly ironic., "I think this explains his popularity on the CBC. His pronouncements seem reasonable and plays to the stereotypes of Canadians but have zero basis in reality." (Bolded for emphasis)

[Ricki Bobbi]

I just performed a little experiment. If you will note, I could have truncated the quote from wikipedia after "and 1987 as a Liberal." That would have been sufficient to inform you about Murphy's political history, and rebut your half-baked theory.

I decided to include the next two sentences, just to see what would happen. Predictably, instead of taking the reasonable path and admitting Rex is probably not lying about his experiences, you have taken your pet "theory" a step further, assuming that his losses were due to the "rule".

In that light I find these statements highly ironic., "I think this explains his popularity on the CBC. His pronouncements seem reasonable and plays to the stereotypes of Canadians but have zero basis in reality." (Bolded for emphasis)

Your 'experiment' is truly beyond me. Maybe I just ain't smart enough to get it.

Why was my theory half-baked?

Here's the thing. Murphy's dumb-ass don't door knock between 2-5 wasn't a 'rule' a decade or two ago that any winning politician followed or anybody with knowledge of campaigns woudn't laugh off.

[Electric Monk]

Why was my theory half-baked?

Here's the thing. Murphy's dumb-ass don't door knock between 2-5 wasn't a 'rule' a decade or two ago that any winning politician followed or anybody with knowledge of campaigns woudn't laugh off.

I wasn't saying you are not smart, your theory was half-baked because you didn't do any research into Murphy's past political experience, took me less than a minute to find the wikipedia entry, I'm sure you could have done the same. (Although to be fair, you did question whether he had any campaign experience.)

Then you proceed to make a statement that seems reasonable to you based on your stereotypes of Rex Murphy and the CBC, but has a questionable basis in reality.

To be consistent, you should probably find out whether it was indeed common practice in Newfoundland at that time to not knock on doors from 2-5. Also, find out whether he lost because of this practice. (Practically impossible to find out though.)

Then, if you find that it wasn't, and he did, Then you can say what you said without being guilty of the very thing you accuse him of.

[Ricki Bobbi]

I wasn't saying you are not smart, your theory was half-baked because you didn't do any research into Murphy's past political experience, took me less than a minute to find the wikipedia entry, I'm sure you could have done the same. (Although to be fair, you did question whether he had any campaign experience.)

Then you proceed to make a statement that seems reasonable to you based on your stereotypes of Rex Murphy and the CBC, but has a questionable basis in reality.

To be consistent, you should probably find out whether it was indeed common practice in Newfoundland at that time to not knock on doors from 2-5. Also, find out whether he lost because of this practice. (Practically impossible to find out though.)

Then, if you find that it wasn't, and he did, Then you can say what you said without being guilty of the very thing you accuse him of.

You had to throw in Newfoundland to hold your little theory together. No I haven't campaigned in Newfoundland, but Rex didn't specify his ridiculous statement about not door-knocking between 2 and 5 was specific to the Rock. So my theory still holds.

[Electric Monk]

Fair enough, I await your proof that it was not common practice in Canada 10-20 years ago.