The comedic moment of the day came when a reporter for one of the local papers called to tell me the local Liberal had complained that his signs were being torn down. Vanished, actually – inferring in heavy tones that it was the Conservative goon sign crew that was doing the deed.
Of course, as I have mentioned here before, it has been Conservative signs which have been laying down their plastic hearts and souls for the cause since this campaign began. We have seen the shoulders and intersections of major arterial roads picked clean of the blue placards in a single evening – leaving those red things waving in their place. Our signs have been sliced and diced, suffered broken and splintered wooden limbs, and been knocked into ditches where they were then buried alive by passing snowplows.
But, here’s a Liberal strategy for you: Blow up the opposition’s expensive signs, then complain to the media that the Blue Machine is playing unfair.
Well, roadside signs wars are for the juvenile among us and, at the end of the day, will do very little to change a voter’s mind. Much more influential, and telling, are lawn signs that people plant on their private property to show what colours they are backing. All it takes is one political sign on one lawn on one street to make an impression on every single person who travels by it, day after day.
So, the good news is that in Halton, we are miles ahead of the other guys when it comes to planting these so-called bag signs. Every night we have a volunteer in the office threading the bags onto their wire frames, and every day they disappear out the door – picked up by people wandering in, or grabbed by a member of our sign crew out to satisfy the phone and email requests which have come in. Esther tells me it looks like we are actually going to run out of these suckers, which will mean about 60% more requests that in the 2004 election in Halton. Now, that matters.
Of course, one great way to get lawn signs planted is to visit voters, which I have been doing now for seven months. Did it again tonight, too, even though the wind chill was enough to make my face fall off. There were four other guys helping me, and we managed to plow through three polls in Milton, despite the cold. I cannot thank them enough for the loyalty and purpose they have demonstrated, in minus 20, six days before Christmas.
But, believe me, it is this dead-tech approach to campaigning, one cold foot in front of the other, that still convinces me I will win this riding in just over a month. I told this to Esther in our meeting yesterday – when she was referencing the computer modeling, and the numbers of identified supporters and the “expert†opinions from the brain trust in Ottawa.
Crap, I said eloquently. I have been to thousands and thousands of doors, and I know when I look into the eyes of people whether or not I have touched them. And I know, not every one, not even close. But enough. I have been the only candidate who chose this difficult path because it was the right thing to do. How can you possibly ask people to support you if you have not met them? How can you represent people you do not know? Politics is still about human interaction, and there is no amount of email in the world that can take the place of looking into another person’s eyes, standing there, ready to be accountable.
I told you yesterday about canvassing in a wealthy area of Oakville on Sunday afternoon, how the people in this small neighbourhood were intense and engaged. I received this letter today, via my campaign office:
I have not seen any other of the party members visit our neighbourhood to this point with less than 5 weeks to go to election time. Yesterday Mr. Turner showed up at my door and we exchanged a few pleasantries – we even talked about his dog for a brief moment. It was refreshing to see one of the Halton MP candidates take time out of what normally is a day reserved for relaxing, to introduce himself to me, even in the frigid cold without a hat. This was quite impressive.
You can mention to Mr. Turner that we enjoyed reading the hand-out materials he dropped off. These days, with all of the $#@! going on in our governments and all of the voter confusion it has been causing, it doesn’t take much for any voter to make up his or her mind when one of the candidates does something seemingly small, yet in a way, quite grandiose. So kudos to Mr. Turner for putting up with the cold yesterday and making my decision that much easier.
How much software does it take to analyze that?
23 comments ↓
But, here’s a Liberal strategy for you: Blow up the opposition’s expensive signs, then complain to the media that the Blue Machine is playing unfair.
Do you have any proof that the Liberals are behind your sign problems?
Haha, haha. What a kidder you are. — Garth
So that’d be a no?
I’m no expert but I try not to accuse people of crimes without any evidence to back it up but I’m goofy that way.
See if I were you and I truly believed in a Liberal sign goon squad I’d ask two of my most loyal volunteers to stake out a trouble spot with a video camera (and a big flask of Timmy’s) and see if you could catch them in the act. Sure it wouldn’t be a fun gig and it could take awhile but I’m thinking the publicity of such a sting would be well worth it, the media luvs caught on tape stuff and it certainly would add to the taint the Tories are trying to cover the Liberals with on a national level.
Which is a bit like coal to Newcastle.
If you were in a campaign, and had that much time on your hands, you’d be losing. — Garth
I know in MY riding last election you would see a Conservative sign torn down and “miraculously” a Liberal sign had been placed right where the Conservative one once stood (and this happened multiple times).
Maybe it wasn’t “proof”, but it was awful coincidental.
Salvage, it is obvious that the Liberals in Garth’s riding are getting desperate; hence the reason why they are destroying all the Tory signs everywhere. Who else in their right mind would be trekking out in this freezing weather to destroy Garth’s signs!! Garth doesn’t need to show anyone proof of anything. Its just common sense that he is right.
Salvage, perhaps we could get Gurmant Grewal to do the taping. Unfortunately, when it’s a Conservative doing the evidence gathering, the media tend to victimize the innocent. I could see the headlines now:
Gurmant Grewal Thinks He’s George Lucas, study of video footage shows Mr Grewal tampered with video tape.
If you were in a campaign, and had that much time on your hands, you’d be losing.
Only if Stephen Harper were my leader. At least according to the latest poll:
Liberal 34%
Conservative 29%
New Democratic Party 19%
Bloc Québécois 13%
Green 5%
Still no traction. Why is that G? Media bias? Sign theft? Sun spots?
Hey next time you see Mr. Harper (or if Mrs. Harper reads this she can pass it on?) can you ask him if this election ends up with pretty much the same results as before would the Conservative Party reimburse Elections Canada for the cost of a waste of time election? Obviously y’all are not under any obligation but it would be a nice gesture.
WOG – No that isn’t proof, further more I question the value of such a tactic.
“I was going to vote Tory but I didn’t’ see any signs so I didn’t!”
Sometimes I think those lawn thingies are for the candidates’ ego.
“…the media luvs caught on tape stuff and it certainly would add to the taint the Tories are trying to cover the Liberals with on a national levelâ€.
By salvage on 12.20.05 10:23 am
Actually Salvage, if you pay reeeaaally close attention you might, just might, actually see that it is the Conservatives who are rising above the mud slinging and addressing the issues that matter in this campaign.
The ‘taint’ you refer to sir has been “Liberally” self applied by Mr. Chretien and Mr. Martin to their own party…no Conservative brushes are or have been required.
Garth, maybe a Sasquatch is tearing the signs down. That would explain why you AND Gary Carr are complaining about disappearing signs and accusing each other. Maybe you two should team up before the Sasquatch gains any more traction and wins the riding. I presume he’s either independant or the Green candidate.
Hey! This post is as timely as the day’s headlines!
“TWO ARRESTED AFTER ELECITON SIGNS VANDALIZED”
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/12/20/elxn-signs-vandalism.html
Read an interview by Canadian Business magazine with Angus Reid and basically he said that telephone surveys are a thing of the pass because fewer and fewer people are participating in such surveys. It is getting to the point where a survey company has to dial 1000 numbers in order to get 100 respondants, therefore the surveys could be skewed.
Two men have been arrested after a vandalism spree damaged dozens of Liberal election signs in Brampton, Ont.
Darn it PB, I just about messed my self in a effort to get that here and you beat me to it.
Bah!
Hmmm MJB guess I’ll have to look a little closer I guess. Why don’t you look at PB’s link and tell us again about who’s doing what?
Mort – yeah common sense actually says you need proof before you can make an accusation. I’m not saying it isn’t Liberals mucking about with Garth’s stuff, it’s certainly possible, heck even likely, but that isn’t enough and I certainly wouldn’t make “J’accuse†noises based on it.
Gary- I don’t understand how a difficult sample would skew the results.
I’d say Garth is on track, keep knocking on doors and connecting with people. Keep your head down, scarf over your face, and trudge on through the snow drifts.
The sign stuff, is an expensive annoyance; but fundamentally won’t change people’s minds.
Garth continuing to connect with each and every open voter; will change minds one at a time.
Lastly, polls give some indication of what people are thinking but are far from authoritative as far as the pulse of the nation is concerned. I get annoyed with pollsters, mainly because they have the uncanny ability to interrupt you, precisely at the moment that you set down and take your first bite of supper. This will usually earn them the brush off.
Typical CBC. Conservative signs come down in droves, but they cover the story of a Liberal candadites signs being vandalized. Just peachy.
I’d like to know where they get the results for those polls. I’ve never been asked anything!!!
Salvage, get off that damn computer and find some friends to hang out with. You need to get yourself a life son.
The good news is that the big “Trying to get by on $200K — Please help!” sign is still up in Oakville.
The suspicion that surveys, and ‘polls’ are skewed are not without foundation. Particularly since those doing the polling are getting lucrative contracts with the liberals for doing the polling. And then there is the ‘man in the street’ bogus videos saying how they are going to vote liberal. And saying almost two weeks before the event things about the ‘flare up with the US ‘ over Kyoto and global warming. Looks a lot like another put up job that the pollsters are fobbing off on what they hope is an’unsuspecting’ voting public.
Increasingly and unfortunately for the liberals, that is less and less likely the more informed people become about the tactics the liberals use to get ‘elected’. Use stolen money to pay for their campaigns, refuse to step down when voted non-confidence in the House of Commons and making a laughing stock out of PMPM’s ‘democratic deficit’ promise.
That’s all it is for liberals: Fool the voter into thinking they actually mean something and actually mean what they say. From theft of roadside signs ( for Salvage’s edification: Roadside signs are quite a different thing from LAWNsigns) to bogus polls to feigned ‘passion for Canada’ the liberals have proven beyond all doubt they have no moral authority to be dog catcher let alone run this country.
Always entertaining, Snowbunnie! Always!
“suspicion that surveys, and ‘polls’ are skewed are not without foundation. Particularly since those doing the polling are getting lucrative contracts with the liberals for doing the polling.”
Snowbunnie, man you are ignorant. Most of these polls are actually nightly
rolling polls. Public reaction to events can actually be gauged within 48 hrs of an event. Additionally, these polling firms would go broke if they solely depended on the Liberals for their revenue. According to your logic, internal Conservative polling that also shows them (the Conservatives) trailing, must have been sabatoged by the Liberals, right? Stop being such a dunce!
Martin wants ethanol mandated? – i read this here:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/12/20/elxn-libs-agri.html
instead of discussing sign wars, how about a discussion of whether or not corn based ethanol is really environmentally friendly?
Very classy TRUEGRIT. Within you’re first 5 words you start the name calling. I think that’s a record. What makes it funny is that you’re wrong to boot.
Garth: Leave all of your vandalized signs up. Let them be seen by all. It will just show your Liberal opponent as the lying desperate person he is. He was a backbencher when he played hockey, when he was a Conservative MPP, and now as a Liberal MP.
Today I had occasion to deliver a shiny new Saturn to a resident of your riding, and I was very pleased to see your signs up on Appleby Line. I was also very impressed to find out that you were the only politician so far to knock on his door. Keep up the good work, and get all of your brother and sister candidates doing the same. I am sick and tired of the same old Liberal crap in Ottawa and I want a change!
Salvage,
Angus Reid was basically saying that telephone polling is getting to be impractical, for the amount of numbers out there for faxes, businesses, people switching from regular phone to cells plus throw in the factor that polling over cell phones isn’t allowed, he feels that telephone polling is becoming a thing of the past and given the above reasons too labour/time consuming, thus the possibility of skewed or not so accurate polls.