On: Getting Blatch’d, Inspiring Ire and the Thomas Mulcair Rage Machine.
Well, dear readers, if you’ve read more than one post here, you know that I have a penchant for snark.
I’ve come across a few, such as some in the Rabble crowd, are no big fans of my acid tongue.
My mother has also expressed concern at my salty language.
But that comes with the territory. I wouldn’t be happy unless I were pissing people off.
And, much to my surprise, the fieriest of the social media fury I’ve seen thus far is in the NDP leadership debate.
It started when I proclaimed Mulcair’s campaign as DOA. That ruffled some feathers.
But in recent weeks, the social media campaigns have materialized and legions of loyalists have taken to Twitter to bite and bitch at anyone who dare cross their candidate.
The Saganash Slip-Up
Take, for example, a post I wrote last week that summed up the first half of the race. In it, I incorrectly identified Romeo Saganash as Metis. Stupid, right?
Well it was not only stupid, it was apparently evidence of my complicity in my handicapping Saganash’s chances are becoming leader.
I’m the worst, right?
I think, more than the mistake I made (and corrected about 2 minutes later) they were offended that I pointed out the obvious - Romeo Saganash is not going to win the race. Some would accuse me of buying into the idea that only the anointed front-runners can win. That’s not true. I think Romeo Saganash is great on so many levels, but he would simply be an ineffective leader. He has very little parliamentary experience, and he frankly doesn’t come across as a leader. He’s soft-spoken, mild-mannered and a rather underwhelming presence. While his “policies” are nicely written, he doesn’t appear to have a solid platform or vision for where he wants to take the party.
Mind you, I’m encouraged that - someday - this country may have a minister of Aboriginal Affairs who is actually a member of a First Nations (CREE) community. Dare to dream, right?
THOMAS MULCAIR.
While Tommy may have tempered his tone for a kinder, gentler race - nobody gave the memo to his social media team.
Make no mistake, I’m not terribly nice to Tom Mulcair. I don’t have to be, I certainly don’t owe him any favours. I have no agenda, no axe to grind - I’m just covering him with my opinion.
That opinion is that the dude, although a devilishly capable parliamentarian, is a bit of an ass. That’s not necessary an outright bad thing, but I’m not sure I can see why some New Democrats are so eager about getting him elected. Despite being very smart, he seems to have released no policy, he is virtually invisible on the national stage at the moment and I’m not sure I’ve actually heard a real pitch to elect him other than “we have to.”
Regardless of my personal opinion, I’m not out to get Tom.
And regardless of why they’re doing it, his supporters are pretty dedicated.
Take @Pothen. His Twitter feed is dedicated to all Tom, all the time.
Here’s a sort of highlights reel of some his more lovely Tweets.
Ouch, right? I got Blatchford’d.
And then there was this weird bit where one of Tom’s guys went after Turmel as a way of getting to Peggy. I was wonderfully confused.
The Nice Guys
This race has got to get a little heated. That’s totally normal.
What’s really fantastic is how polarized the #cdnpoli Twitterati are. You have the Saganash curmudgeons in the corner, snapping at anyone who dare mention their candidate’s chances, the Tom Mulcair megaphone shouting obscenities into everyone’s faces and then you have the other six, chatting with each other.
While the social media campaigns are jockeying to show that their guy/gal is amazing, and can turn water into wine and whatnot, they’re staying pretty gosh-darn positive.
Nash’s campaign, certainly the most visible on Twitter, has stayed painfully nice. Mostly a crowd of young Torontonians, they’ve been having a nice conversation on why Peggy is set to win.
Topp’s folks, a relatively small but dedicated and diverse group, have been the subject of much of the potshots (both from Tom and everyone else) yet have stayed largely positive. From time to time, they are perhaps too nice. Too conciliatory. Too willing to say “ALL THESE CANDIDATES ARE GREAT” no doubt in an effort to shed the ‘Brian Topp is a bullying apparatchik” mantle that professor/Mulcairite Douglas McArthur fixed to him.
Dewar’s people, a rather rag-tag bunch, have been scrapping on Twitter, to minimal play. His campaign very much resembles a child asking to eat at the adults’ table. He just might get it, if he asks loud enough.
