This is the last time I'm going backward, I sincerely hope.
Commentors point out that I've ignored a couple more minor gaffes. First, right on day one a Conservative incumbent tweeted the name of the Liberal leader as "Igaffi". Then she apologised, again via tweet. Honest to God, if I start reading every candidate's Twitter feed to keep track of boneheadedness, then Dan will be proven wrong here - parties will only be able to dream they can hold a score to 33. 1x1 for Cheryl
BQ candidates won't talk to Maclean's, except that they will. I'm not sure I can chalk this up to anything more than one staffperson, albeit one who is consistently identified as a "BQ spokesperson", feeling pissy that afternoon. But she does seem senior enough, and as I keep mentioning, apologies are usually deciders for me, and one was issued here. 1x1 for the BQ, already surpassing their 2008 blank card.
As for a French-language Liberal ad, which included an audience shot of a former NDP candidate and presumably current NDP supporter, they dropped her from the ad as soon as she objected. As far as I'm concerned, she was in the crowd, so the Liberal party can hardly be blamed for having her in crowd shots. As for their use of stock photos, so what? Common practice. No score.
2 comments:
It was a pretty quiet weekend on the political front, but then it was reported only the NDP was campaigning Saturday with other leaders taking the day off. The only gaffe candidates I saw date from Friday and Monday.
1) This is a big one for the Bloc: “Bloc MP for Nunavik says sorry for racist gaffe”
The party was forced to apologize for a candidate’s comments about his NDP opponent, a prominent Quebec Cree; he said voters would not support him because he is Cree. Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said he called his MP Friday. “He made a mistake,” Duceppe told reporters.
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/01224_nunaviks_mp_apologizes_for_comment_on_opponents_election_chances/
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2) A far more minor one for the Cons: “Tory staffer: 'stupidity' in party media strategy”
A Conservative communications staffer has used his Facebook page to lash out at Tory restrictions on the number of media questions the prime minister answers on the campaign trail, calling it stupid and a threat to Stephen Harper's public image.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/tory-staffers-facebook-page-cites-stupidity-in-partys-media-strategy-119149389.html
I gave a pass to the Tory staffer's Facebook page, because of the collection of circumstances that minimize the problem.
1) He's a staffer that no one has ever heard of. No one has cared enough about what he thought until this exchange to ever publish it, I suspect.
2) He thought he was communicating privately. That wouldn't be a great excuse if he was much more prominant, but (for instance) I don't expect my blog to be quoted under a headline reading "Former NDP candidate bashes party platform", because no one cares what I think, even though this is a public space. Imagine if my Facebook page was lifted for that story - multiply my surprise by ten. *** NOTE: I don't have a Facebook page. This story should give you a hint of why. Mark Zuckerberg doesn't care about your privacy. ***
3) He wasn't criticizing his party's policy or candidates. He was arguing that his party's war room was making a mistake hiding Harper from the press. If only we could see more of the Prime Minister, we'd love him like this fellow does. Hardly a damning condemnation. Honestly, Steve Lambert of the Winnipeg Free Press needs to find some real stories.
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