[CTV.CA column] When Bill Clinton beat George Bush in the 1992 U.S. Presidential race, he did it with a slogan that had an immediate resonance with American voters: "It's the economy, stupid!"
In 1992, Clinton was trying to beat an incumbent whose popularity had soared after the first Gulf War. But despite Bush's foreign policy successes, many Americans saw a domestic economy in recession and decided that was enough to opt for change.
So Clinton attacked Bush where he was weakest -- on economic issues -- and won a surprise victory.
Clinton understood that a lot of political heat can be generated by so-called wedge issues like gay marriage or a controversial war in the Middle East. But voters, at the end of the day, want to know that they'll be able to pay the mortgage, help put their kids through school, and enjoy a comfortable retirement.
That's why someone should have sat down with the brain trust running Paul Martin's foundering campaign and said: "It's the economy, stupid!"
Martin, of course, was at the helm for one of the most remarkable periods of Canadian economic prosperity and yet, he's hardly talked about that during the election campaign .... [Read the rest at CTV.ca]
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Gemini Award-winning reporter David Akin is the National Affairs Correspondent for Canwest News Service and is based at the CNS Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Message to Paul Martin: It's the economy, stupid!
Comments
Re: Message to Paul Martin: It's the economy, stupid!
by
DavidAkin
on Thu 24 Jun 2004 12:15 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
The following comments were sent to CTV's online producers who forwarded them to me. I re-publish slightly edited comments below. I've taken the names off of them but, if you're the author of these words and would like to attach your name to it, let me know, and it shall be done.
Re: Message to Paul Martin: It's the economy, stupid!
by
DavidAkin
on Thu 24 Jun 2004 12:17 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
[See note in first comment about the authorship of this comment]
CTV and CBC are so liberal bent it is appalling. You are thinking Paul Martin did all this good when he was the finance minister. Hell, I could of balanced the books, if I had raped the health care transfers, and took credit for a booming economy, which was going gangbusters no matter who would have been in government., and then stuffed 40 billion into EI premiums (another rape and pillage of the Canadian taxpayer). The reason " St. Paul" doesn't bring up his "economic record" is because Canadians and his opponents could bring up the points that I brought up. You think it is because of Canadian Government policies that the economy is doing well or poorly, it has nothing to do with it. It's the law of supply and demand that determines the economy, not governments. All liberal governments know how to do is print money off by the billions and give it to there liberal cronies. Shame on you and Shame on CTV on letting this dribble of "Good fiscal responsibility of Paul Martin" article to hit the electronic airwaves. Re: Message to Paul Martin: It's the economy, stupid!
by
DavidAkin
on Thu 24 Jun 2004 12:21 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
[See note in the first comment here about authorship of this comment]
In David Akin's article he seems to praise Martin as a savior to the Canadian economy and my response to that is "Give me a break!!" Martin took over the finance portfolio in 1993, one year after the economists now say was the beginning of the biggest bull rush on the stock market and therefore propelling the economy into exceptional growth. All Mr. Martin really had to do was sit back and watch. Instead of canceling the GST as promised, the funds rolled in as Canadians spent their money. Now we have to ask, where did it all go? It did not go to health care, the military, education. The Liberals continued to dump responsibilities onto the provinces and continued to reap the rewards of a strong economy. I think it's great that our deficit is gone and our debt is shrinking. I think that should remain a priority. I also think that there should be some tough questions asked again and again until the truth is out there. We've heard about some of the billions of dollars lost or wasted and frankly, I think that is just the tip of the iceberg. How could we have nothing to show for a decade of strong economic growth except debt reduction? Re: Message to Paul Martin: It's the economy, stupid!
by
John
on Sun 27 Jun 2004 01:44 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
Re: Message to Paul Martin
As a former life long liberal this election has changed my political bent forever. It has suddenly dawned on me that the Liberal Party of Canada has governed us , now , for the better part of 80years. Hence , as pointed out so correctly in this weekend's Post, they seem to feel that they have a "divine right" to rule , that to be anything other than Liberal is to be un - Canadian . What hogwash. Who.in their right mind could ever reward this party , once again, for years of corruption, arrogance , fiscal mismanagement and utter smugness ? |
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