This week, the (latest) make or break summer BBQ tour kicks off for a Liberal leader, where (once again) their future, and that off all Liberal-kind, will depend (again) on how well they do kissing babies, flipping burgers and, what do you do with corn, turn it? Turning corn?With the gaffes that his leader has made so far, the party tanking in the polls, I kinda see where he would be a little leery.
Frankly though, I think in the four or so summers I’ve been a blogger, I’ve written at least that many blogs about how the leader really needs to have a really strong performance working hard on the BBQ circuit this summer to finally connect with Canadians, build momentum, develop a positive, substantive persona, and whatnot.
Rather than writing that blog again, I figured I’d just post links to the same blog when I wrote it every other summer and let you read those ones instead:
May 8, 2007: OK, now how do we grow?
June 25, 2007 : The quest for the holy BBQ tongs
May 5, 2008 : Summer tour a good idea
June 22, 2009 : We need to put some meat on the BBQ this summer
Joanne at BLY has a great summation of the gaffes so far in her post update.
Iffy sure hasn't started his tour well with his off the cuff remarks but maybe he'll catch on a bit after hand shaking, baby kissing and hanging with "the Canadians" in Tim Hortons across the country. Maybe we should give him a little slack, he's not used to cavorting with the peasants, you know. Will it end up as a successful venture? Time will tell.UpdateIt might not be a bad idea to start keeping track of Iggy’s gaffes on the Liberal “Off-the-Cuff” Express.Just from Shawn Logan’s Calgary Sun report alone there is a goldmine:1. First of all there is the now infamous, “You know you smell the whiff of sulfur coming off the guy (Harper) — we know how right wing these guys really are.”(So is he also saying that all Canadians on the right are like the devil?)2. And Ignatieff took time to show off his Boulet cowboy boots to the crowd, saying, “These are the best cowboy boots in Canada and they’re made in Quebec.” – said in Calgary!!!3. “I am much reproached for spending time outside of Canada — naughty me,” he said. “I don’t know what to do with my shame about that.” Well I do, but it isn’t fit for a family blog.4. “Starting today we’re going to get on a bus and go to every province and territory between July and September, if it doesn’t kill me first. Please Iggy, try to curb your enthusiasm at the prospect of meeting The Canadians.
Meanwhile we'll be mining gold in gaffes etc. for future reference to use in truth ads and blog topics.
