Who the hell is Patrick Brown?
Becoming a politician is similar to going
on a first date. There’s a nerve-wracking period
in which you’re just trying to disguise
your glaring personality flaws, and hoping to
god that your kale salad doesn’t get stuck in
your teeth. The difference between politics
and romance however is that the first date
never ends for someone in office.
The media is so scandal-oriented that, for someone with major celebrity status like Prime Minister Trudeau, the best campaign move is sitting at home. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to have such widespread name recognition, the campaign trail is an awkward balancing act. The goal is to identify unique wedge issues, which will appeal to a broad swathe of the electorate, while alienating as few of them as possible.
Trudeau has forged a path for a new generation of politicians. The name of the game is vanilla. Trudeau and Brown are the Lay’s Original of politicians: bland, inoffensive and most importantly, the lowest common denominator. Gone are the days of strong individuals who are willing to make controversial decisions, the road ahead is paved with glistening teeth and dope haircuts.
Enter the newly elected leader of the Ontario Conservative Party, Patrick Brown. He engaged in all of the baby kissing and blatant pandering of the old gang, but without the pesky opinions and agendas. Someone like former Prime Minister Stephen Harper had a laser focus on facilitating a strong economy. The new breed of politician promises to laser focus on whatever the loudest voice demands.
The Ontario legislature will reconvene at Queen’s Park on Feb.16 and Patrick Brown will have to differentiate himself from former party leader Tim Hudak. From cutting a 100,000 public sector positions to promising a million new employment opportunities, Hudak practically tied the noose that hung him.
Brown has followed Trudeau’s strategy of remaining coy with policy statements until such time as they will be required of him. A successful platform will certainly include an increase in public sector oversight, an area in which the Liberal Party has proven woefully ineffective. However, it’s unlikely that he will explicitly declare his intention to shrink the workforce.
The political paradigm is shifting away from one in which a lack of policy statements is indicative of weak leadership. The incumbent government has the advantage of a track record to entice voters, while all the opposition can provide is a list of stuff they would do differently. Public interest in an election race is almost nonexistent until the weeks preceding it and by announcing a platform late in the game, the opposition can limit the amount of criticism the incumbent government will voice.
The comparison between Trudeau and Brown is apt. Both are young career politicians who have the money to push their campaigns as far as possible and both have the versatility to engage with any political challenger they may have to face. What remains to be seen is whether either will have the backbone to make the tough decisions their office requires.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The media is so scandal-oriented that, for someone with major celebrity status like Prime Minister Trudeau, the best campaign move is sitting at home. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to have such widespread name recognition, the campaign trail is an awkward balancing act. The goal is to identify unique wedge issues, which will appeal to a broad swathe of the electorate, while alienating as few of them as possible.
Trudeau has forged a path for a new generation of politicians. The name of the game is vanilla. Trudeau and Brown are the Lay’s Original of politicians: bland, inoffensive and most importantly, the lowest common denominator. Gone are the days of strong individuals who are willing to make controversial decisions, the road ahead is paved with glistening teeth and dope haircuts.
Enter the newly elected leader of the Ontario Conservative Party, Patrick Brown. He engaged in all of the baby kissing and blatant pandering of the old gang, but without the pesky opinions and agendas. Someone like former Prime Minister Stephen Harper had a laser focus on facilitating a strong economy. The new breed of politician promises to laser focus on whatever the loudest voice demands.
The Ontario legislature will reconvene at Queen’s Park on Feb.16 and Patrick Brown will have to differentiate himself from former party leader Tim Hudak. From cutting a 100,000 public sector positions to promising a million new employment opportunities, Hudak practically tied the noose that hung him.
Brown has followed Trudeau’s strategy of remaining coy with policy statements until such time as they will be required of him. A successful platform will certainly include an increase in public sector oversight, an area in which the Liberal Party has proven woefully ineffective. However, it’s unlikely that he will explicitly declare his intention to shrink the workforce.
The political paradigm is shifting away from one in which a lack of policy statements is indicative of weak leadership. The incumbent government has the advantage of a track record to entice voters, while all the opposition can provide is a list of stuff they would do differently. Public interest in an election race is almost nonexistent until the weeks preceding it and by announcing a platform late in the game, the opposition can limit the amount of criticism the incumbent government will voice.
The comparison between Trudeau and Brown is apt. Both are young career politicians who have the money to push their campaigns as far as possible and both have the versatility to engage with any political challenger they may have to face. What remains to be seen is whether either will have the backbone to make the tough decisions their office requires.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
