How the NDP Blows it

The polls released on CPAC last night shows a serious decline in support for the NDP in Ontario and B.C. the hot spots that they are supposed to be fighting to win.

Now speculation has it that the significant, nope make that huge drop in the support for the NDP in Ontario is either the Buzz factor, or the Liberal Gun Ban.

Well folks its neither. It's the perennial problem of the liberal-Left and the NDP in particular, its called politeness. Yep they are to damn polite in debates.

So when debating a big mouth rightwhinger like say Ezra Le-Rant they sit quietly and try and score points by being reasonable, sounding reasonable, and not getting in your face. While Ezra or any other rightwhinger gets in your face and says the most outragous generalities about liberals and the left, and the spokesperson for the left sits there and takes it. Calmly they reply and get bulldozed over by the rightwhinger.

Its my pet peeve about liberal leftists in debates. The problem is that liberal leftists think that politics is the bloody Oxford debating society. That you score points by being clever. Well you actually have to open your mouth and say something to score points. And one of the failures of the NDP is that they don't.

Take for example last night on Mike Duffy's Countdown. We have Anne McLellan, Peter MacKay and Bill Blaikie debating. And Bill, Mr. Parlimentarian, sits there with this blank look on his face (you could almost see the cartoon squiggles of steam coming out of his ears) and doesn't butt in on the debate between Anne and Peter.

He waits. And waits. Finally the Duff asks him to speak, Bill starts and Duff asks him a question and he blows his cool and attacks Duff for interupting him. Opps faux pas, you don't criticize the moderator you attack your opponents.

Then Anne and Peter go at it hammer and tongs and on the screen between them is Bill staring out at us blank faced, and never ever said a word again. He just looked pissed off. Yep he just let them debate. The result,well here's what my pal Reg said;

I never thought....
Putting the a in smart
2005-12-13 20:49:47
I would ever feel sorry for Anne McLellan but if you just watched the absolute asskicking Peter MacKay just gave her over defense spending on Duffy's Countdown tonight, you know why I do.

Bill who? you ask, exactly. So what the hell is the NDP position on defense spending? Don't know cause Bill thought this was Oxford or the House of Commons. Where debate is regulated.

And he is not the only one. Its a major problem with the NDP communications (sic) team of Brad Lavigne and Jamey Heath. Whenever they are debating their counterparts on Don Newmans show, or the Duffs, they let the debate go between the Liberals and Tory's. They sit back politely and wait their turn. Though on CPAC the other night Brad did flip out and attacked, and attacked, with political pugilism.Atta boy Brad. Someone must have put an espresso in his Starbucks before the show.

But overall the NDP is never in the debates. They have a fear of luquacious interruptis. It's a historic problem with the NDP its why Ed Broadbent lost the debate and the election in 1988 when he sat back and let Mulroney and Turner punch it out over Free Trade. The issue was the NDP's and it was stolen by Turner. And all Ed did in the debate was sit on the sidelines slack jawed.

If the NDP wants to make any gains, let alone set the agenda of this election as they did in the spring sitting of parliment, its time to take the gloves off. Look into the camera and open your mouth and say something.


Other NDP Stories