Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Is Key himself a legitimate issue?

Is Key's character an issue for this election? I believe it is.

I think Key's lack of experience and his inconsistency seriously impact his credibility. His flip-flopping is well documented but that alone's not fatal. Instead, it's his shiftiness that troubles me. It's evident in his handling of Francesca Mould's questioning over his Rail shares. If the explanation was as innocent as he claims, why not say so at the earliest possible opportunity?

Christopher Hitchens has written a devastating piece criticising McCain and Palin - particularly Palin - for lacking the essential character to lead. His piece includes this quote:
A candidate may well change his or her position on, say, universal health care or Bosnia. But he or she cannot change the fact—if it happens to be a fact—that he or she is a pathological liar, or a dimwit, or a proud ignoramus. And even in the short run, this must and will tell.
Danyl at the DimPost has noted a increasingly negative tone to the campaign. His view is Labour are wrong to follow this strategy - he may be right but I think Key's character is important to his capacity to be PM.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Is Key's character an issue for this election? I believe it is."

The polls don't seem to agree with you.

backin15 said...

Apparently not, no. Doesn't mean he's anything other than a cypher but.

Anonymous said...

I think MacCain's failed negative campaign is instructive. Most centrist undecided voters don't actively dislike either candidate - they're undecided because they see postive things about both. McCain just turned people off. It only goes down well with the already converted.

Sites The Standard are just group therapy for angry people. They're not good advertising for Labour and Labour would do well not go down that road.

backin15 said...

It's not like Labour are the only party with negative advertising. Not one of National's billboards is anything but negative.

Anonymous said...

true, but if you look at Obama's campaign their adds have been "negative" but in a far more subtle and less personal way than McCain's.

they haven't been inclined to replicate the insane bile coming from sites like DailyKos.

Motivating the base is one thing, winning over swing voters is another. Although with Obama it's been the tanking economy that's given him back the lead I do think he's been able to appeal to the undecideds more by the style of his campaign.