Pallister Should Thank Lamont For Second Majority
Dougald Lamont handed Pallister the election. Or, should I say, his ego and lack of focus on the ultimate goal for the election.
It is a long way from going from 4 seats to official opposition or even government, yet, Lamont actually believed that every poll was wrong and he was going to do that. Yet, he insisted on running a full slate of candidates. He also insisted on releasing a platform announcement every day of the campaign. He wanted to appear like he had a strong team behind him so he wanted as many candidates as possible to be standing behind him while he made his announcements.
Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.
You can't go from 4 seats to opposition. Well, Sharon Carstairs went from one seat to being Leader of the Opposition but that was decades ago, and you are no Sharon Carstairs. Actually, we don't really know you. You came from the back rooms, whatever that means, and we haven't really gotten to know you. My impression is that you are arrogant. I'm probably wrong, as I am wrong about many things, but you haven't done much to change my opinion. Frankly, in the leader's debate, you appeared bored. But, it wasn't just me that said you would be finishing third, it was every pollster and analyst in the media. And, when I say you are no Sharon Carstairs, I mean that you lack her passion, but also, never underestimate the power of a sharp-tongued woman. That is the one advantage women have in politics. Sharp-tongued women are successful. There were several sharp tongued women as Liberal candidates. Why didn't Lamont share his stage with them? My hairdresser lives in Tyndall Park. I saw more Cindy Lamourex signs than I saw cumulatively in my riding. She is a force. Why wasn't she, and other Liberal women stars, speaking for the party.
Further more, what was your real goal? If your goal was to defeat the Conservatives, you made a strategy mistake. You should have been strategic and focus on a few ridings you legitimately had a chance to win and focus energy on that. Take my riding, Assiniboia. Seriously, take my riding. I am not happy that the laziest MLA in the province has been elected. I am determined to make Scott Johnston accountable for all of his actions and inactions for the next four years. I haven't figured out how to do that yet, but, I have my thinking cap on. He can thank the Liberals for his election. The Liberals ran a candidate that didn't live in our riding, was signed up at almost the last minute, and never legitimately campaigned in the riding. He came in third but if there was no Liberal running, those votes likely would have gone to the NDP and McKellep may have been a MLA. It's a shame when the leader of the third party has no vision. Not shocking that they have lost official party status. My riding is just one example.
The constant announcements were confusing and made me unable to focus on what the message was. Pallister's message was clear. He was the message. The NDP's central message was fix health care. I don't know what the Liberals central message was because they released so many announcements that I lost track. If they had a central message, it was very watered down.
Lamont made every announcement behind a podium with his candidates surrounding him. Well, ask any rookie Toastmaster and they will tell you a podium is a crutch. Get out from behind it. Don't hide behind a podium. Let us see you for who you are. Plus, you took valuable campaign time away from your candidates. Have you driven through the city in the last two weeks. There has been this thing called constructions which has been everywhere. A twenty minute drive can be as much as an hour. What arrogance to tie up your candidates as props. Whatever you think of Sharon Carstairs, she stood alone for a long time and never stopped working regardless of cameras. If you had such a strong team, use the opportunity to let them shine. That shows leadership.
By running a full slate of candidates, you spent a whole lot of money that the Manitoba Liberal party didn't have. Losing official party status is a huge loss. It didn't have to be this way.
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