Pierre Poilievre sounds a lot like Donald Trump. But, Chantal Hebert writes, if you look at how Poilievre's campaign is organized and executed, the model looks less like Donald Trump and more like Justin Trudeau:
It is undeniable that there are Trumpian undertones to his anti-elite rhetoric and his dismissive treatment of the competition.
But it is not necessary to look south of the border for parallels between his campaign and a relatively recent leadership bid. In many non-Trumpian regards, the dynamics of Poilievre’s bid mirror Justin Trudeau’s own path to the leadership of the Liberal party a decade ago.
He too drew uncommonly large crowds, including in regions where voters have never elected a Liberal candidate. On a brief visit to Red Deer, deep in Tory blue territory, in the fall of 2012, I remember being told by my hosts of the lineups for selfies that had attended a Trudeau event just a few days before my arrival.
Like Poilievre, Trudeau enjoyed a social media presence that totally dwarfed those of his rivals. That presence, combined with the status of political rock star, went a long way to turn his leadership bid into a coronation in all but name.
Again, like Poilievre, Trudeau’s connection to voters was more grounded in emotion than in intellectual appeal. Those who flocked to his events were not inspired by his political or managerial track records. He did not have much of either.
The name Trudeau sends Conservatives into fits of rage. But, this time around, it appears that they've taken a good look at how a Trudeau wins.
Image: huffpost.com
6 comments:
Okay, so JT drew crowds for selfies in Red Deer pop. 104,000. Where are the similar crowds for PP in Ontario?
Steam Whistle's largest reception hall holds 1,000 for a reception in which people aren't seated, that drops to 350 if seated. Tighly framed photos of PP's rally show people seated. Let's be generous and say PP attracted 500. That sure is underwhelming when you consider there are more than 6 million people in the GTA and the media's been hyping him as the man to beat since this campaign started.
Methinks Chantal is trying to both sides this by drawing spurious parallels between PP and JT. But whatever you think of JT's effectiveness in office, the man has charisma, something PP sorely lacks. You can't run a Trudeau-style open to the public, charisma-based campaign with Stephen Harper 2.0. PP is running a tight, controlled access campaign using the same operatives as his former boss did. Let me know when you see protestors at a PP rally.
Cap
Poilievre is clearly Stephen Harper 2.0, Cap. I'm betting that Canadians don't want to go back there.
When Lil'PP comes out for legalizing psilocybin and Pro-Rep I'll buy what Chantal is peddling.
She is usually better than this (maybe Paul Wells ghost wrote it) ;-)
Chantal is a bit of a contrarian, PoV. Sometimes she's right.
We are becoming insensitive to the fact that only the rich and well financed can reach political heights.
Politics is a rich mans game played for the benefit of rich men, and women.
Yet we idolise wealth though it destroys both the democratic process ad our ability to prosper.
Modern day prosperity comes with the slavery of debt .
TB
Precisely, TB. There are millions of students who can testify to that fact.
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