Archives for : 2008

The Day In Which Democracy DIED

Posted by :David Manly On : October 15, 2008
0

Category: 2008, Canada, Election, McGuinty, NDP

So, here are my adventures of what I had to do for an assignment on Election Day.

When all the MJ’s were told of what we had to do, I got a burst of inspiration. “Maybe I should follow a candidate around on Election Day. I’m sure that would be interesting.” Ohhhh, silly, silly David.

I told the professor, and he was VERY enthusiastic. Second mistake. A prof that is excited about something that you are going to do has a very high potential of being sorely disappointed.

So, I sent out emails to ALL the candidates in Ottawa South and Ottawa Centre. Of all the emails I sent out, like nine, I got 4 responses back.
Penny Collenette = NO
Paul Dewar = Nah, but you can come to his press events
Green party for Ottawa South = Sure
NDP for Ottawa South = SURE!

So, I decided to go to the NDP Ottawa South guy, and then I emailed my professor about when I should meet him, how long I should stay and if it is ok that I miss the quiz in the morning. He told me to forget the quiz and to have a good time!
SCREW MARKS! YAH!

I was told to call the NDP campaign headquarters on Election Day, and I figured that they would be busy from early in the morning until the polls close. So, like a good boy, I woke up at 7 a.m., had breakfast and called them at 7:30. No answer. Called again at 8…. NO answer.

Then I figured, they’ll be in there by 9, so I’ll just head on over there. After a brisk walk and a short bus ride, I arrive. And there’s this house that is falling apart, and seemingly supported by NDP signs. The colour of the signs, like an orange Creamsicle, really hurts your eyes.
It’s like the sun….. must…look…away!

And then, once my eyes adjusted, I knocked on the door. No answer. I called them. No answer. GREAT!
This went on for AN HOUR AND A HALF!!!!!! I was sitting outside the campaign headquarters, waiting, for an hour and a half. BUT, I did find time to do the puzzles and Sudoku’s in the Metro and 24 hours…. ohhh yah.

Finally, a volunteer let me in, which I interviewed. Imagine John Lennon wearing a pink tie-dye shirt. And that’s him.

The candidate eventually came, and I interviewed him. He was a nice guy, but he was dressed like he was going to audition to be a tree. Brown pants, and a dark green shirt with a brighter green jacket. I was waiting for a squirrel to jump out of his pockets to gather nuts for the winter.

Then, we went canvassing. In an apartment building. That’s right folks, we went to EVERY DAMN APARTMENT in an apartment building. Out of over 200 doors, 21 answered and did NOT slam the doors in our face. There were some interesting people.

A man, in his underwear holding a small dog in one hand and a Kleenex in the other.
A man, who sounded like Borat, said “The resident, she is asleep. We were busy making good time. She is a tired now. I will let her know.”
Or the woman who yelled at her dogs to stop knocking on the door.

After that, I walked back to my place and wrote the article.

Ohh, and in case you are wondering, the candidate lost SPECTACULARLY to David McGuinty …. he got 8% of the popular vote, compared to McGunty’s 50%.
Yah, it was CLOSE 😉

Election ’08: The MANLY Edition

Posted by :David Manly On : September 17, 2008
1

Category: 2008, Canada, Election, Elizabeth May, Jack Layton, Stépahe Dion, Stephen Harper

It seemed a little odd that a Canadian blogger, such as myself, has not written a blog regarding the current Canadian election. Hence, this posting.

As a journalism student at Carleton University, we are told that we must follow the election with great interest. I have been from the very beginning, when the campaigns were first launched. And here is my completely biased opinion of the main candidates.

Stephen Harper – A family man wearing an almost over-powering blue sweater-vest. Honestly, in all my years in Canada, I cannot recall such a blatant about-face to change the public’s opinion about the current Prime Minister. I knew he was married, but I was unaware that he even had children! Now, many people believe that he is the spawn of Satan, that he will bring about the End of Days, the Apocalypse, etc. I am not convinced about Harper bringing about the destruction of the world, I’m more concerned with that CERN super-collider revving up in October and destroying the world with mini-black holes! I can see why Harper’s PR person wanted this change, but the ADS are just annoying. He’ll probably become PM again, but I just hope he keeps his promises.

Stéphane Dion – I was watching CBC’s the National last night, and I saw a Liberal party advertisement that was actually pretty good. EXCEPT for the fact that Dion did NOT APPEAR in it. I’m being serious! What kind of campaign has a leader that doesn’t even show up in the ads? This perfectly encapsulates the Liberal campaign for me: DEFEAT HARPER, HIDE DION. Case in point: yesterday, his plane (another story…) had to make an emergency landing, and they basically partied with the press with drinks and food! The election isn’t very far away… a little focus would be nice. Like Harper, the Liberal PR people tried to re-envision Dion as an average Canadian who snowshoes, plays hockey and hunts… seriously? The candidates are NOT normal people…. so stop pretending you are! We ALL enjoy hockey… but focus on your campaign, Dion!

Jack Layton – As people probably know, I like Jack Layton. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy with a very grandfather-ish appeal. I applaud his platform and his drive to improve the environment. His ads are ok, but the 1984 like ad in Quebec is a little much. He is a party leader that deserves more respect and credence than he is usually privy too. That being said, the NDP will most likely not win this election because many people are not sure of his exact party position, other than the Obama-esque slogan: “Choose Change”. I believe more times should be spend focusing on what the NDP can do if elected, not how the NDP differs from the Liberals and Conservatives.

Elizabeth May – The Wild Card. She is a little bit of a firecracker, and I am excited that she will appear in the debates. The Green Party is finally getting some street cred! In no way, shape or form are they going to win this election, but I genuinely hope that they get a handful of seats and establish themselves as the party of a greener future!

So, here are out candidates:
Harper – Sweater-vested family man
Dion – The Liberal’s shadow
Layton – The Grandpa
May – The wild card

My vote is still up for grabs, as my main criteria is on the environment. Whiel it is only one vote, I will use it with pride. After all, in my humble opinion, only those who can vote hold the right to complain!

But enough about me….. How will you vote?