Francis Chartrand for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

I do not know about you, but I'm glad that cursed in this campaign is over. It may have been short, I found endless.

As rightly says Marco Fortier yesterday: "It is time that this campaign comes to an end. The leaders have uttered so many big words for 37 days they have nothing more to say if it continues."

I am sure that Lee Atwater turned in his grave and heard our leaders start insults.

ROCKY THE SQUIRREL

Remember Lee Atwater? It was one of the greatest political strategists of his generation.

Specialist negative publicity, Atwater (we called him the Darth Vader of the Republican Party) was ready to do anything to save their foals.

It will stop at nothing - no mud bath, no baseness, no fight. He circulated false rumors about his opponents, investigating their personal lives, and so on.

In 1988, when Michael Dukakis was threatening to win the presidential elections, Atwater has produced a 30-second video which completely demolished the campaign of Democratic candidate.

Known as Rocky the squirrel, this pub murders showed Dukakis in the process of piloting a tank of the U.S. military. Affubled a helmet ridiculous move that would net the famous Gilles Duceppe for a Stetson, and awkwardly trying to play cowboy, Dukakis (a frail intellectual who was also macho that Stéphane Dion) had looked like a twit finished.

Result: George Bush Sr. moved to the White House and the poor Dukakis has become a footnote ...

SAVE ME MY

In 1990, at a breakfast fundraiser, Lee Atwater delivered a speech to a packed house. As he recounted how he had just rolled in flour Dukakis, the pitbull of the Republican Party has had convulsions and crashed on stage.

Transported to hospital, he learned he was suffering from brain cancer in the terminal phase.

Remorsed, seeking a form of redemption, Atwater has spent the last months of his life to apologize to his former victims and denounce the immoral of the American political scene.

He died on 29 March 1991, a month after writing in Life magazine:

"My illness helped me see that I missed it fails to U.S. policy in general: a little heart, a little compassion. A tumor is dangerous now gnaw the soul of my country ... "

A GOOD EXAMPLE

Leading a country is not just pass laws and put the economy on track. It is also - and above all - inspire citizens.

However, during this campaign, no politician not inspired me.

The heads have lost so much time to tell us why we should vote against their opponents that they forgot to tell us why we should vote for them.

They spent their time to shout names. To quote Marco Fortier, the candidates have launched more than mud that children of 12 years in a camp. "

That's the example you want to show Canadians? That's nice.

After that, we wonder why young people do not respect authority figures ...

Labels: Elections, Richard Martineau, United States

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 12:00 PM