| Tuesday, July 06, 2004 |
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From my favourite read, The Hill-Times
Campaign 2004's liveliest moments of media coverage By Tom Korski Campaign 2004 soon will be reduced to harrowing flashbacks of campaign buses and stale doughnuts. While the wounds are still fresh, let's preserve the liveliest moments of media coverage this political season. Most Ominous Campaign Development New Brunswick Conservative Bob McVicar was waving at rush hour drivers in Saint John when a five-vehicle pileup snarled traffic. One car careened into McVicar's campaign van. "I don't think our presence caused the accident," he told the CBC. Three days later, McVicar lost his riding by 3,500 votes. Most Quotable Quote From a Leader "I mean, there are a lot of other things in life which I could not do...I never contemplated political life as a full-time career," said Paul Martin, in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen's Mark Kennedy. Most Quotable Quote From a Candidate "Well, I haven't been thrown out of any place of cursed or had my literature torn up, so I take that as a good sign," said Saskatchewan New Democrat Earl Cook, to the Meadow Lake Progress. Cook polled third in his Churchill River riding. Most Dubious Campaign Spin The London Free Press reported that Martin, as a typical working man, once "found a job pouring concrete." The Toronto Star told readers that Martin was so fascinated with construction work his "ultimate ambition" was to operate a backhoe, and that his favourite food was Kraft Dinner. Martin, one of the wealthiest Prime Ministers in Canadian history, is worth an estimated $70-million. Most Curious Campaign Prophecy "Martin now resembles Trudeau in 1968 - minus the charisma," veteran CBC journalist Larry Zolf wrote in a commentary. "Martin is indeed incomparable," Zolf added. Strangest Controversy North Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey refused to appear at an all-candidates' forum in Amherst, N.S., in protest over the location - the town undertaker's. "I'm willing to debate anyone, anywhere at any time, but not in a funeral home," Casey told the Amherst Daily News. He won re-election by 9,400 votes. Best Reason to Get a Thesaurus In a breathless June 10 story headlined "Liberals Admit They're Desperate," the Star used the word 'Desperate' five times in 15 paragraphs. Most Curious Headline In a column four days before the election, the Toronto Sun's Peter Worthington cited an online straw poll that gave Conservatives 51 per cent support. The column's headline: "An Upset in the Making?" Most Poignant News Writing From an account of Joe Clark's farewell speech to the House of Commons, by The Canadian Press' Sue Bailey: "'Maureen and I look forward to the next chapters in our lives,' Clark told a sparse crowd of MPs surrounded by rows of empty seats." Least Useful Commentary Astrologist Eugenia Last, appearing on CTV's Canada AM, told viewers that Martin "doesn't have the planet Neptune in an awkward position on this chart." Least Useful Interview The Charlottetown Guardian conducted a survey of local hairstylists and found "disillusionment and even disinterest among the electorate" as detected by P.E.I. barbers. "They have no idea how they're voting," one told the Guardian. Most Obliging Coverage The Fort Saskatchewan Record has this account of an all-candidates' forum: "MP Ken Epp was next to have opening remarks and he surprised many with his honest remark that he had in his own estimation represented the constituents of his riding of Elk Island 'to the best of my ability although not to perfection.'" Epp was re-elected by a margin of 16,000 votes. Most Over-Heated Editorial "To the question: 'What kind of Canada do we want,' [Martin] offers this answer: A kinder, healthier one that cares for children and the needy and helps mend a broken world, without being financially irresponsible. There's vision here," according to the Star, June 4. Most Intriguing Concept The National Post on April 14 quoted a geophysicist who warned that if a kilometre-wide meteor were to strike Ottawa, a fireball would rise over the city, incinerating the lawns of Parliament and causing the House of Commons to tumble into a smoking crater. Worst Campaign Joke Speaking in Fredericton, Stephen Harper said retiring MP Elsie Wayne reminded him of his "late great" Aunt Estelle - "except for the being dead part." Harper's quip was greeted with a gasp from "400 startled partisans" at a Conservative rally, according to the Canadian Press. Most Overplayed Story Olivia Chow's failed candidacy in Toronto's Trinity-Spadina prompted national coverage of a "power couple" in the Commons. CTV News predicted it would "add some spice to the upcoming election." The Globe and Mail reported that Chow "should help the NDP more successfully tap ethnic support from communities such as Chinese-Canadians." Most Underplayed Story Citing a "dramatic shift in the odds," an online bookmaker BetWWTS announced June 27 the chances of a Liberal minority had improved to 5 to 7. Liberated at 9:44 a.m. | |
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